US wants astronauts back on the Moon in five years: Pence

First woman and the next man on the moon will both be American astronauts launched by American rocket

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Vice President Mike Pence announced Tuesday that the United States aims to send astronauts back to the Moon in five years, with a woman first in line to set foot on it again.

"It is the stated policy of this administration and the United States of America to return American astronauts to the Moon, within the next five years," Pence said in a speech in Huntsville, Alabama.

"Let me be clear, the first woman and the next man on the moon will both be American astronauts launched by American rockets from American soil," he said.