On July 20, 1969, humanity achieved what was once thought impossible: landing on the Moon. The Apollo 11 mission, followed by five more successful Moon landings, marked a golden era of space exploration.
However, after the last mission, Apollo 17 in 1972, humans haven’t set foot on the lunar surface again. It’s been more than 50 years, so why haven’t we returned to the Moon? The answer is complicated, involving politics, economics, and evolving priorities in space exploration.
The End of the Apollo Program
The Apollo program was a product of the Cold War, driven by a space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. When President John F. Kennedy famously declared in 1961 that America would land a man on the Moon (and safely return him to Earth) before the decade’s end, it wasn’t just about scientific curiosity — it was about demonstrating technological superiority over the Soviet Union.
Once the U.S. arguably won this race with Apollo 11, the urgency diminished. The following missions, while successful, didn’t capture the public’s imagination in quite the same way. The excitement waned, and so did the funding.
The Apollo program was enormously expensive, costing approximately $25.8 billion (more than $257 billion today, adjusted for inflation), according to The Planetary Society. As the Vietnam War intensified and domestic issues took center stage, the government and the public began to see the Apollo program as an expensive luxury rather than a necessity.
Read More: The Top Apollo Program Milestones
Shifting Priorities: From the Moon to Low Earth Orbit
As the 1970s progressed, NASA’s focus shifted from lunar exploration to other objectives, particularly the development of the Space Shuttle program, which received presidential approval in 1972.
The Space Shuttle was designed primarily for missions in low Earth orbit (LEO), such as deploying satellites, conducting microgravity experiments, and ultimately building and serving the International Space Station (ISS). The Shuttle was seen to make space travel more routine and economical. Its reusable nature was supposed to lower the costs of space missions, making space more accessible.
However, this shift to developing and flying the Shuttle meant that lunar missions took a backseat.
Read More: 15 of the Most Life-Changing Spacecraft and Missions That Fueled Our Curiosity
The High Cost of Lunar Missions
One of the main reasons for the long hiatus in lunar exploration is cost. Sending humans to the Moon is incredibly expensive. And beyond the initial cost of just getting there, establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon requires a massive investment in infrastructure — including habitats, life support systems, and reliable transportation vehicles.
In contrast, robotic missions, like those to Mars or the outer planets, tend to be much more cost-effective, and they have provided incredible scientific data without risking human lives. The success of these robotic missions has, in part, reduced the perceived need for crewed lunar missions over the past several decades.
Nonetheless, that tide has been shifting in recent years with NASA’s work to make the Artemis Program a reality. For example, the President’s Fiscal Budget for 2024 carves out $8.1 billion in funding to “build on the successful Artemis I mission and pave the way for a long-term presence at the Moon.”
Read More: Here Are 4 Reasons Why We Are Still Going to the Moon
Renewed Interest in the Moon
The Artemis program, led by NASA, aims to return humans to the lunar surface within the next few years. Currently, NASA hopes to send a crew of astronauts around the Moon in September 2025 (Artemis 2) before landing a different crew of astronauts on the Moon in September 2026 (Artemis 3). Unlike the Apollo Program, the goal of the Artemis Program isn’t just to visit the Moon, but to establish a sustainable presence, with an eye on using what we learn for future crewed Mars missions.
Other countries, such as China and India, have also expressed interest in crewed lunar exploration, with intentions to eventually launch their own missions to explore the Moon's surface and resources. China plans to send astronauts to the Moon’s South Pole by 2030, while India seeks to send a human on the Moon by 2040.
Private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are also developing technologies that could make lunar exploration more cost-effective and accessible.
Read More: Artemis Prepares to Take People to the Moon and Beyond
Evolving Goals: Mars and Beyond
While returning humans to the Moon is finally again of interest, the focus of human space exploration also includes more distant goals, such as sending humans to Mars.
Mars represents the next frontier, with the potential for discovering signs of past or present life and the possibility of future colonization. That’s why agencies like NASA, ESA, and private companies like SpaceX have set their long-term sights on the Red Planet.
The technological advancements required for a crewed Mars mission are immense, and many of them will also benefit future lunar missions. For instance, the development of new propulsion systems, life support technologies, and habitats designed for the harsh conditions of Mars can be adapted for use on the Moon.
Read More: Why Haven't Humans Reached Mars?
A New Era of Lunar Exploration
The answer to why humans haven’t returned to the Moon in so long is complex, involving the shifting priorities, financial constraints, and evolving technological goals over the last 50 years.
However, with recently renewed interest and technological advancements, we may soon see a new era of lunar exploration, one that could pave the way for humanity’s expansion into the solar system.
Read More: From Legos to Human Feces, Here Are the 7 Strangest Things Left in Space
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
The Planetary Society. How much did the Apollo program cost?
National Air and Space Museum. Why Did We Stop Going to the Moon?
Britannica. The space shuttle
NASA. Station Facts
NASA. President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Strengthens NASA, Space Economy
NASA. NASA Shares Progress Toward Early Artemis Moon Missions with Crew
CNN. China’s Chang’e-6 moon mission returns to Earth with historic far side samples
NASA. Mars
NASA. 6 Technologies NASA is Advancing to Send Humans to Mars
Jake Parks is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in covering science news. He has previously written for Astronomy magazine, Discover Magazine, The Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and more.
