— The United States has reconfirmed that it will land not just Americans but international astronauts on the moon and announced that it will do so before the end of the decade.

Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking Wednesday (Dec. 20) at the third meeting of the National Space Council, said that one of the primary ways the U.S. extends its leadership in space is by strengthening its international partnerships. She drew particular attention to NASA's Artemis program, which is working toward returning humans to the moon in a way that is sustainable for many years to come.

"Today, in recognition of the essential role that our allies and partners play in the Artemis program, I'm proud then to announce that alongside American astronauts, we intend to land an international astronaut on the surface of the moon by the end of the decade," said Harris in her role as the chair of the space council. "This announcement and this meeting of our National Space Council is a further demonstration of our belief in the critical importance of international partnership."

Harris did not specify on what mission an international astronaut would be assigned, nor did she say from what country or international partner agency the crew member would be chosen. Prior statements made by the administration and separately by NASA suggested that the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Canadian Space Agency could gain access to the lunar surface in return for the commitments they have made to support the needs and expansion of the Artemis program infratructure.

Already, NASA has assigned a Canadian astronaut to Artemis II, the first mission that will fly astronauts around the moon in more than 50 years, which is targeted to launch no earlier than late 2024.

"The strong relationship between the United States and Canada has a long history in space exploration and science. And I have to tell you, that Canada is excited that this relationship now extends to the moon," said Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency, in his remarks introducing Harris at the space council meeting on Wednesday. "NASA could have chosen to do this alone, but they intentionally chose to include Canada and a growing list of international partners."

Hansen will fly with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch on the Artemis II mission. In return, Canada will develop, build and operate Canadarm3, a robotic arm that will support the assembly of NASA's Gateway, a human-tended station to be deployed in lunar orbit.

Artemis III, as currently planned, will land the next American and the woman on the moon, aiming to touchdown at the lunar south pole to seek out water ice inside the craters that are in the permanent shadow of the sun.

The mission, which is currently targeted for late 2025, requires hardware — including new commercially-developed spacesuits and a human landing system or lunar lander — that are still being developed by commercial partners. If Axiom Space's AxEMU lunar garments or SpaceX's modified Starship moon lander are not ready in time, the Artemis III mission could be delayed or given a different flight profile.

Beyond flying an international crew member to the lunar surface, the Biden Administration and NASA have committed to landing a person of color on an Artemis moon landing mission.

Harris also announced that the U.S. will promote the use of the moon for radio astronomy and will work to improve space weather forecasting to protect the lives of U.S. astronauts flying to and from the lunar surface.

"I believe we are all here together because we agree space is a place of extraordinary opportunity," said Harris, addressing the members of the National Space Council. "So our task, and dare I say our duty, as nations must be to work together to make that opportunity real and to preserve it for future generations."