NEW YORK, August 15. /TASS/. US space agency NASA has made the decision to expedite the implementation of its Artemis moon program, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said.

"We are accelerating the Artemis program. In fact, Artemis III rocket is being stacked right now in the Vehicle Assembly Building. And following that flight, we will return American astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028," he said during an event at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

In May, the New Glenn heavy-lift rocket by Blue Origin, expected to take part in the Artemis III program, exploded during propulsion tests at Cape Canaveral. The company said it would deliver a replacement to NASA next year.

According to the plan, the Artemis III crew will be brought into space by the Orion crewed spacecraft atop the SLS carrier rocket. After that, Orion will dock and undock with the Blue Origin spacecraft, and later - with the Starship spacecraft by SpaceX. After that, Orion will return to the Earth, splashing down in the Pacific. The mission is expected to last two weeks.