Space Professionals Express Optimism for Moon Exploration, Growing Public Support Reflected in Poll
Artemis 2 Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen links earthbound challenges (food security, healthcare, climate) to human exploration of the Moon, enabling “eight billion people to row in the same direction and work on these problems”; National Air and Space Museum curator Jennifer Levasseur tells Milwaukee Journal Sentinel she sees “palpable” increase in engagement of young people with space installations; Economist / YouGov survey confirms these sentiments, with 64% of USA adults supporting human Moon landings, with 23% favoring national leadership, 11% preferring commercial entities taking charge while 48% want a dual approach
While CNSA Chang’E-3 and 4 continue surface operations and NASA / Advanced Space 
Biden-Harris Administration fiscal year 2024 USA budget allocates US$27.2B for NASA, a 7.1% increase, with $8.1B for lunar exploration & $949M for Mars sample return; Artemis II 4-member crew to be announced at joint NASA / CSA-ASC joint 
Landing near northern rim of Nassau crater on lunar farside (23.81°S, 176.83°E) on TBD commercial lander, Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night) led by PI Stuart Bale (UC-Berkeley), co-investigator Jack Burns (CU Boulder) and DOE / Brookhaven National Lab is slated to be the first radio astronomy precursor to test low frequency detection limits (<50 MHz) in the pursuit of cosmological dark ages (380,000 years post-Big Bang) observation via 21-cm neutral hydrogen emissions; LuSEE-Night is to operate throughout lunar night / day cycle for up to 2 years thanks to 40-kg battery system
Under NASA NextSTEP-2 Appendix N US$45M award, Leidos subsidiary Dynetics has matured key equipment it hopes will strengthen its bid with partner Northrop Grumman for Appendix P: Human Landing System Sustaining Lunar Development & Demonstration contract / uncrewed & crewed demo missions around Artemis 5 or later (NET 2028); Tech validations include methalox main / RCS propulsion testing at MSFC, Cryogenic Fluid transfer demonstration at GRC, Electrodynamic Dust Shield modules (first created at KSC); Blue Origin-led team including Draper, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Astrobotic, Honeybee Robotics also competing for Appendix P contract