Italy hoping to scale World Cup 'Everest' ahead of Bosnia play-off showdown

The European Space Agency will negotiate future participation in NASA missions after the US space agency revamped its lunar program, the ESA head told AFP Wednesday.

The US space agency announced recently it is suspending its so-called Gateway lunar orbital space station efforts in order to focus on building a base on the Moon's surface.

This left the European role in future exploration unclear. The ESA had an agreement with NASA for three astronaut flights to Gateway.

"The Gateway is postponed, therefore I will need to sit down with the administrator, that means Jared Isaacman, and the NASA team, to negotiate how these seats that have been earmarked for the Gateway can be utilized for the surface," ESA head Josef Aschbacher told AFP, speaking in English.

A German astronaut had been slated to fly first, followed by a French astronaut and later an Italian.

Aschbacher was speaking from the Kennedy Space Center, where phase two of the Artemis program proceeded Wednesday with a successful rocket launch of three Americans and one Canadian astronaut on a mission to fly around the Moon. 

The ESA director general said "this is a discussion that needs to take place right now."

"How many seats for the surface flight, or under which conditions, or what is the countervalue that Europe needs to bring into this bargaining and this discussion?" he said.

"The goal is to have Europeans walking on the Moon," said Aschbacher, an Austrian who has helmed ESA since 2021.

"But of course, the dream, or the objective, is that eventually Europe develops its own technologies and capacities to have more autonomy on human spaceflight."

Europe was to provide components of Gateway -- some already built, others under development. The Japanese space agency (JAXA), another NASA partner, was carrying out similar efforts, and currently has a Japanese astronaut scheduled to travel before the first European.

cha-es/ico/pnb/mdo/dw

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has checked himself into rehab, his attorney told US media Wednesday.

The Rams star "voluntarily entered a holistic care facility to focus on his personal growth," lawyer Levi McCathern told NFL Network.

Nacua topped the entire league with 129 receptions last season, adding a total of 1,715 yards, as the Rams reached the NFC Championship game before losing to eventual Super Bowl winners Seattle.

But he has been beset by recent off-field controversy. 

In December, Nacua apologized after making an antisemitic gesture during a livestream appearance.

Nacua was encouraged to perform the gesture -- rubbing his hands together -- as a potential new touchdown celebration while appearing with internet streamers Adin Ross and N3on.

The 24-year-old said he had not been aware that his gesture -- a common stereotype that depicts Jewish people as greedy -- was antisemitic.

Last month, a Jewish woman filed a lawsuit against Nacua alleging that he made an antisemitic statement and later bit her during a night out in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve.

His lawyer said Nacua denies the allegation of antisemitism, calling it a "blatant lie," and describing the bite as "horseplay."

Nacua's decision to enter rehab was prior to and unrelated to the lawsuit, said the attorney.

McCathern did not state the precise reason for Nacua entering rehab, but the center in question helps patients with issues including drug and alcohol addiction, chronic pain and mental health conditions, the California Post reported.

Neither McCathern nor the Rams immediately responded to AFP request for comment.

"Puka takes responsibility for his well-being and increasing his performance during the off-season," said a statement sent by McCathern to NFL Network.

"He is committed to using this time constructively so that he can return in the best possible position -- both personally and professionally -- to continue contributing to his team and the game he loves," it said.

The statement added: "It is unfortunate that a trivial lawsuit has drawn attention to Puka during a time when he is focused on becoming a better overall person."

amz/pst

Brianna Utecht was Mizzou track and field’s lone competitor at the Texas Relays on Wednesday, competing in the women’s heptathlon event. Utecht sits in eighth place of 12 competitors through Day 1 with a score of 3309.

Utecht will conclude the event at 10 a.m. Thursday in Austin, Texas.

Columbia College lacrosse bounces back with road win over Missouri Baptist

The Cougars men’s lacrosse cruised to a 20–9 road victory over Missouri Baptist to regain momentum in conference play.

Columbia College controlled the game from the start, building an 8-1 lead after the first quarter and maintaining offensive pressure throughout all four quarters. The win comes after a loss to Benectine College, with Columbia quickly reseting to execute on both ends of the field.

With the victory, Columbia improves to 6-4 and 3-1 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. The Cougars will look to carry the momentum with a showdown against Clarke University at 3 p.m. Saturday in Dubuque, Iowa.

Oil prices spiked and stocks sank on Thursday after Donald Trump reiterated that US forces would hammer Iran for another two to three weeks but offered no solution to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has crippled global markets.

Investors appeared to be unimpressed with the US president's much-anticipated address to the nation, in which he again called on countries that rely on the waterway for their energy supplies to reopen it themselves.

The comments came amid growing fears about the economic impact of the crisis, which has seen governments introduce support measures, with the World Bank saying it was "extremely concerned".

In a speech lasting less than 20 minutes, Trump added little to what he has said in the past, warning that "over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong".

He also told the nation that US forces would meet all their battlefield goals "very, very shortly".

The address dented a nascent recovery in world markets that had come after Trump said earlier this week that the war would be ending "very soon", while his Iranian counterpart said his country had the "necessary will" to end it.

Brent crude, which had fallen back below $100 a barrel Wednesday, surged as much as five percent to hit $106.29, while West Texas Intermediate jumped more than four percent to as high as $104.29.

Trump "spoke of objectives met, but not of resolution. Of continued strikes, not withdrawal. Of optional escalation, not closure", wrote Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.

"The message was not one of panic, but it was unmistakably one of unfinished business. And in markets, unfinished business is oxygen for volatility.

"So oil did what oil always does when the illusion cracks. It surged, not because the war suddenly worsened, but because the market had prematurely priced in the expectation that it would end."

The reaction among equity traders was no better, with Seoul -- which soared more than eight percent Wednesday -- losing three percent. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei and Sydney were also well down.

The speech "did not contain what the market had hoped for -- namely, indications of an end to the fighting", Jumpei Tanaka, of Pictet Asset Management, said. "Instead, he suggested a potential escalation of the situation, which is a clear negative for stocks."

Markets have endured huge volatility since the US-Israeli war on Iran was launched on February 28, with the president frequently U-turning after making policy statements, particularly with regards to foreign relations and military operations.

His announcements that Washington and Tehran were in peace talks have often been denied by the Islamic republic, while its Revolutionary Guards insisted the strait will remain closed to the country's "enemies".

Trump's repeated demand that countries that rely on energy through the Strait of Hormuz "get your own oil" comes as Britain prepares to host a meeting of about 35 nations Thursday to discuss how to reopen the waterway.

The meeting will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities", UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

Meanwhile, the World Bank Managing Director Paschal Donohoe said he was fearful about the global economic impact of the crisis.

"We are extremely concerned regarding the effect that this will have on inflation, on jobs and on food security," he told AFP as the Bank announced a new partnership with the International Monetary Fund and International Energy Agency to coordinate aid responses.

- Key figures at around 0210 GMT -

West Texas Intermediate: UP 3.6 percent at $103.69 a barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 4.5 percent at $105.71 a barrel

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.5 percent at 52,937.10 (break)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.0 percent at 25,041.49

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,942.78

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1553 from $1.1586 on Wednesday

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3254 from $1.3305

Dollar/yen: UP at 159.28 from 158.88 yen

Euro/pound: UP at 87.16 pence from 87.08 pence

New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 46,565.74 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 1.9 percent at 10,364.79 (close)

dan/lga

When wildfires raged around Los Angeles last year, Rene Amy’s home was razed to a pile of toxic ash.

But his plot now shimmers with delicate orange blooms -- the California poppies he has sown throughout the charred town of Altadena as a symbol of hope.

"These flowers will grow and proliferate anywhere on the globe that humans can survive," the 65-year-old told AFP.

"They are so resilient. They look super fragile, but they're not; they're pretty tough underneath... kind of like Altadenans."

Nestled against the mountains overlooking Los Angeles, Altadena was ravaged by the wildfires that tore through America's second-biggest city in January 2025.

Of the 31 people who perished in the fires, 19 died in Altadena. The rest were killed in the upmarket coastal enclaves of Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

More than 9,000 buildings were destroyed, transforming the area into a vast wasteland. 

Fifteen months later, Altadena is slowly and painfully rising from its ashes. 

A few house frames are beginning to go up. But for survivors, rebuilding often turns into a battle — caught between the complex process of filing insurance claims and the slow-moving bureaucracy of an area many complain is over-regulated.

 — Symbol — 

Over the past few months, Amy has sown 250 million poppy seeds across more than 750 empty lots, spending $12,000 of his own money.

It is his way of bringing color to this somber landscape and boosting the spirits of survivors.

"What I found is, for me, personally, helping others makes me feel not only alive, but some of the best moments I've had since the fire involved helping others," he said.

His choice of the California poppy is no accident: The plant, with its tulip-like bloom, is the official flower of the Golden State.

Before Los Angeles expanded its sprawl as far as the eye could see, Altadena was renowned as a "poppy paradise," Amy says, and the flower appears on the town's official seal. 

In the 19th century, Angelenos and wealthy tourists from the East Coast would flock to the hills every spring to witness the blooms blanketing the slopes in undulating oranges and golds. 

— 'A new beginning' — 

But with the global climate being changed by humanity's unchecked use of fossil fuels, nature's patterns are being interrupted.

California has just wrapped up one of the driest months of March on record, leaving many of the poppies Amy sowed in trouble.

Yet, in scattered spots, they have pushed their way through the soil, like on the sidewalk in front of a fast-food restaurant, where blooms have sprouted beneath a mural of a young girl holding a poppy. 

"Seeing nature come back after the fires is just so heartwarming," said Roxanne Albee as she left the restaurant.

"It's like a new beginning," added the 77-year-old former actress who lost her home to the flames and is struggling to compile a detailed inventory of lost possessions for her insurance company. 

"To have these flowers, have the poppies come back... that's part of the vibe of Altadena."

In a few years' time, Amy, who has dubbed his vehicle "The Poppymobile," hopes his flowers will have spread, restoring the town to its former glory.

"My hope is that in subsequent years and decades, Altadena is once again justifiably renowned for its poppies," he said.

It's "a way to bind us together, and yes, to remember our history, where we've come from, and to look forward to the future."=

rfo/hg/mjf/dw 

A major 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Thursday, killing at least one person, causing waves of up to 75 centimetres (2.5 feet) and triggering a tsunami warning that was subsequently lifted.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor hit at a shallow depth of 35 kilometres in the Molucca Sea between the Sulawesi and Maluku island groups in the early morning.

One person was killed when a building collapsed in the city of Manado in North Sulawesi province, a local search and rescue official told AFP.

"The quake was felt strongly and around Manado... one person died and one person had a leg injury," George Leo Mercy Randang told AFP by telephone.

The victim was "buried under the rubble" of a collapsed building, he said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Within half an hour of the quake, waves up to 75 centimetres were recorded in North Minahasa and 20 centimetres in Bitung, both in the north of Sulawesi island, according to Indonesia's BMKG geological agency.

Thirty-centimetre waves were also logged in North Maluku province.

The PTWC lifted its warning just over two hours after the tremor, saying the tsunami threat "has now passed."

Ternate resident Budi Nurgianto, 42, said he was inside his house when the tremor struck, sending people panicking outside.

"The quake was felt strongly. I heard it first from the walls of the house that shook," he said.

"When I went outside, there were many people outside. They were panicked. The quake was felt (for) quite long, more than a minute.

"I even saw some people leaving their house without having finished their shower."

- Aftershocks -

BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani told journalists in the capital Jakarta there were 11 aftershocks, the biggest with a magnitude of 5.5.

An AFP journalist in Manado on Sulawesi, about 300 kilometres west of Ternate by sea, said the shaking woke him and others in the city of around 450,000 people.

"I immediately woke up and left my house. People (were) immediately scrambling outside. There is a school and the pupils rushed outside," he said.

The shaking persisted for "quite long" but he did not witness "significant damage", he added.

The PTWC had initially warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre were possible for parts of Indonesia, with smaller waves possible for the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Guam and Palau.

"Government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas should take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk," the agency said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said it expected "slight changes" in the sea level along the Pacific coast from northern Hokkaido to southern Okinawa, but has not issued any warnings.

The earthquake centres of the Philippines and Malaysia have also not issued tsunami alerts.

Indonesia and neighbouring countries experience frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" -- an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

In 2004, a magnitude-9.1 quake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia.

burs-mlr/mjw

(The Center Square) – Just over a month after Operation Epic Fury began, President Donald Trump Wednesday proclaimed U.S. strikes on Iran are nearing completion, while telling allies to step up defense of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil and gas passageway.

During a nearly 20-minute address from the White House Wednesday night, the president outlined the accomplishments of the military strikes, while sending a swift warning to the Iranian regime.

“I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion…We are going to finish the job. And we’re going to finish it very fast,” the president said.

“Our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield,” said the president.

“I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly, we’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two or three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong,” Trump said.

The president claims the Iranian’s Navy, Air Force and leadership have been decimated.

Trump highlighted his core objective of the mission, which includes eliminating Iran’s ability to produce and build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and supporting proxies in the region.

The president spotlighted concerns over Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities, which were demonstrated when the Islamic Republic attempted to strike Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, exceeding prior beliefs of their long-range missile capabilities.

“They had some weapons that nobody believed they had. We just learned that we took them out,” said Trump. “We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside their border.”

The president addressed concerns over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on the global oil trade, assuring American taxpayers of the nation’s energy independence, though gas prices topped $4 a gallon in states across the nation.

Trump proclaimed that the U.S. is completely independent of oil from the Middle East, but “we are there to help. We don’t have to be there. We don’t need their oil.” He reiterated his commitment to helping allies in the region.

He attempted to reassure Americans that the high prices at the gas pump will be short-lived as the conflict wraps up.

“This is a short-term increase and has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching to raise terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring counties that have nothing to do with the conflict,” said the president.

The president said the U.S. imports “almost no oil through the straight.”

Trump stressed his attempts at diplomacy with Iran in striking a deal to cease the production of nuclear and ballistic missiles.

Trump called out allies depending on oil from the Strait to step up and take back the Strait of Hormuz.

“I have a suggestion. Number one, buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty. We have so much. And number two, build up some delayed courage,” said the president.

Trump left the door open for diplomacy with the Islamic Republic, describing the new regime as “less radical and much more reasonable.”

However, he warned them that if a deal isn’t made “during this period of time,” the U.S. will hit key targets, including energy infrastructure and oil.

Spanish police on Wednesday said they were investigating "Islamophobic and xenophobic" chants that were heard during a Spain-Egypt international football match in Barcelona, which the prime minister said "tarnish" the country.

Egypt's national anthem was also jeered ahead of the 0-0 draw on Tuesday in a pre-World Cup friendly, while authorities at La Liga side Espanyol's RCDE Stadium appealed to fans more than once over the public announcement system to refrain from making offensive comments.

It was the latest in a string of similar incidents to overshadow Spanish football in recent years, with Real Madrid's Brazilian attacker Vinicius Junior in particular repeatedly racially abused.

"We are investigating yesterday's Islamophobic and xenophobic chants at RCDE Stadium during the Spain-Egypt friendly match," Catalonia's regional police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, wrote on X.

A section of supporters had chanted: "Whoever doesn't jump is Muslim."

One of Spain's starters during Tuesday's match, forward Lamine Yamal who plays for Espanyol's city rivals Barcelona and is Muslim, slammed the chants as "a lack of respect and something intolerable".

"To those who sing these things: using a religion as a form of mockery on a pitch shows you up as ignorant and racist," the teenage star wrote on Instagram.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned an "unacceptable" incident on X, adding: "we cannot allow an uncivil minority to tarnish the reality of Spain, a diverse and tolerant country."

Justice Minister Felix Bolanos said on X that "racist insults and chants embarrass us as a society".

"The far right will not leave any space free from their hatred, and those who remain silent today will be complicit," he added.

- 'Intolerable' -

The Egyptian Football Association expressed in a statement its "total condemnation of the vile racist incident" by some spectators who "went beyond the limits".

The Spanish Football Federation also condemned the chants, as did most major political parties.

But the leader of the far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, took aim on X at political opponents who "get worked up about a chant that is not even an insult, just an expression of identity".

The game in Barcelona was moved from Qatar due to the war in the Middle East and was played out in a hostile environment from the start.

A message urging fans to stop xenophobic chants and remarks was displayed on the screen at half-time and read aloud by the stadium announcer at the ground. 

The announcement was repeated early in the second half, prompting some sections of the crowd of 35,000 to respond with whistles.

"I don't know exactly what the protocol is, but I think it was the right decision to display the message on the screen and make the announcement," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said after the match, calling the chants "intolerable".

"Violent people use football to carve out a space for themselves. They must be removed from society, identified, and kept as far away as possible," the 64-year-old added.

- First conviction -

Spain has struggled to stamp out racism at football matches.

Vinicius, 25, has become a lightning rod for racist abuse since arriving in the Spanish capital in 2018 from Brazilians Flamengo.

In January 2023, Atletico Madrid fans hung an effigy of Vinicius from a bridge near Real Madrid's training ground.

In 2025, five Real Valladolid fans, who racially abused Vinicius in a 2022 match, were found guilty by a court of committing a hate crime -- the first such ruling in Spain regarding insults at a football stadium.

Spain's game with Egypt was a warm-up fixture for this summer's World Cup, with both nations qualified for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

La Roja will face Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H, while Egypt are scheduled to play against Belgium, New Zealand and Iran in Group G.

bur-rbj-at/ds-imm/bsp 

Carmakers reported mixed first-quarter US sales Wednesday pointing to a hit from winter storms, as the Middle East war clouds the industry's outlook compared with unusually favorable dynamics a year ago.

The US-Israeli offensive against Iran, launched on February 28, has boosted oil costs by more than 50 percent, sending gasoline prices to more than $4 per gallon in the United States.

While that adds to the affordability challenges facing the industry, experts and automakers say it is too soon to determine the war's overall impact on sales.

General Motors said Wednesday it sold 626,429 vehicles between January and March, and that the early part of the quarter was marred by "severe winter weather," while March emerged as a "much stronger month."

It also cited the "exceptionally high" level of sales in March 2025, when worries about expected tariffs from President Donald Trump prompted shoppers to rush car purchases.

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor North America reported 569,420 first-quarter vehicle sales, down 0.1 percent from a year ago.

But FCA US, the US affiliate of Stellantis, reported a four percent increase to 305,902 from its line-up, which includes Jeep, Dodge and Alfa Romeo.

And Hyundai reported a one percent increase to 205,388 units. 

Other leading automakers, including Ford and Tesla, have yet to release first-quarter figures.

Cox Automative projected a US sales decline of 6.5 percent, with the boost from expected lofty tax refunds offset by affordability difficulties and anxiety about the war.

Exactly how the Iran conflict impacts auto sales will depend on its duration, especially if higher inflation prompts central banks to keep interest rates high, or raise them higher.

The war "adds tremendous amount of uncertainty to the vehicle market," said Charlie Chesbrough, an economist at Cox Automotive.

A note from Oxford Economics pointed to improving dynamics in March after winter storms abated.

"However, sales will face major headwinds as higher gas prices due to the US-Iran war take a bite out of consumers' real disposable income growth," Oxford said.

- Impact on EVs? -

Auto information website Edmunds projected US car sales of 3.7 million in the first quarter, down 6.5 percent from the year-ago period.

"Between severe weather, geopolitical uncertainty, rising gas prices and ongoing affordability challenges, it's no surprise sales are down year over year," Edmunds said.

Deutsche Bank said it did not anticipate an "immediate near-term impact" from the war on volumes, confirming an outlook of 15.8 million sales for this year, down 2.5 percent from 2025.

Analysts that track electric-vehicle maker Tesla expect it sold 365,645 units in Q1, which would be an increase of 8.6 percent from the 2025 period but a decrease of 12.6 percent from the final quarter of 2025.

The outlook for EV sales has been clouded by Trump's elimination of tax credits to encourage sales of the climate-friendly autos.

But an extended period of high energy prices could spark greater interest in EVs.

Searches for EVs on Edmunds accounted for 23.8 percent of customer queries in the week of March 16, up from 20.7 percent in late February.

"While higher gas prices can spur interest in electrified vehicles, they typically need to be sustained or more pronounced to drive a meaningful shift," said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds.

"Right now, many consumers appear to view the latest spike as temporary," she said.

Previous oil-price surges have sent automobile markets into tailspins: Sales dropped 44.7 percent the year after the 1973 oil shock and more than 40 percent after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Auto sales plunged 45.5 percent in the year after the 2008 financial crisis, and slid 12.7 percent after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to figures from Anderson Economic Group.

elm-jmb/mlm

(The Center Square) – America is going back to the moon, after Artemis II lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday evening, more than five decades after Americans last set foot on the moon.

The lunar-bound spaceship lifted off shortly after 6:30 p.m. from the Kennedy Space Center, the first mission to the moon since 1972, when Apollo 17 spent over three days on the surface of the moon.

Artemis II is being manned by three American astronauts and one Canadian, commanded by Ret. U.S. Navy Capt. Reid Wiseman, piloted by U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover, along with mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.

Artemis II marks some historical firsts for NASA. Koch will be the first woman astronaut to travel to the moon, while Hansen is set to be the first Canadian astronaut to make the trek.

The Artemis II mission will orbit the moon and is expected to last 10 days. The Orion spacecraft is expected to travel nearly 250,000 miles from Earth, the furthest a human has ever traveled from Earth.

The mission, which followed Artemis I, launched in 2022 as an unmanned lunar spaceflight — leading the way for other Artemis missions. Artemis I, II and III —eventually paving the way for Artemis IV in 2028, when humans are expected to set foot on the lunar surface.

The Artemis II mission is expected to pave the way for NASA to build a moon base, similar to the International Space Station. Ultimately, NASA plans to send humans to Mars.

Artemis II’s mission mirrors the Apollo 8 mission, launched in December 1968, paving the way for the Apollo 11 mission, which saw astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin make history as the first humans to set foot on the moon.

At the time of the Apollo 8 mission, which orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968, it was considered the most dangerous mission NASA had undertaken to that date, with only a 50/50 chance of return. The mission proved an enormous success for the space program.

Over the past 45 years, the U.S. has focused its human space missions on orbiting Earth. Despite not launching a mission beyond Earth’s orbit in nearly 60 years, costs for the latest mission program have decreased.

The Apollo program cost American taxpayers $290 billion (inflation-adjusted) by the time of the first moon landing, Apollo 11, in 1969. NASA predicts the Artemis program will cost taxpayers $105 billion by the first landing, which is expected to launch by 2028.

The space capsule is expected to splash down off the coast of California.