NASA vows to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024

NASA's chief Jim Bridenstine said the agency is all set to meet a new challenge - returning humans to land on the moon within the next five years.

Bridenstine promised that the agency will work quickly to send a crew to the lunar vicinity  in 2022 and land astronauts on the moon's south pole by 2024.

"We have laid out a clear plan for NASA's exploration campaign that cuts across three strategic areas: low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars and deeper into space," Space.com cited him as saying.

NASA's chief noted he has already made reorganizations at NASA to meet the new goal, including establishing a moon to Mars directorate "to focus on the formulation and execution of exploration development activities."

Bridenstine's declaration came after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who chaired the fifth meeting of the National Space Council Tuesday, announced a goal to land astronauts on the moon in the next five years.