Washington, August 25: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced the next chapter of its space exploration, titled as "Artemis", which aims to take human civilisation to the moon. In a statement issued on Sunday, the American space body said it would next be going to the Moon to "stay".

Further, NASA adds that a path would be forged towards Mars, the planet located closest to the Earth. For years, scientists have been researching on the presence of water and other life-supporting elements on both the celestial bodies. NASA Astronaut Neil Armstrong Death Anniversary: 5 FAQs About American The First Person to Walk on Moon

"Fifty years ago, we pioneered a path to the Moon. Today, our calling to explore is even greater. We’re going to the Moon to stay — and then to forge a path to Mars and beyond. Artemis is the next chapter of human space exploration," NASA said.

Read NASA's Tweet Below:

The announcement by NASA comes amid the Chandrayaan-2 mission sent by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to the Moon. Earlier this week, the team of Indian scientists performed successful manoeuvres to place the spacecraft in the lunar orbit.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission is set to make a soft-landing on the Moon's surface on September 7, scientists at the ISRO have confirmed. This will make India the fourth nation, after the United States, Russia and China, to achieve the feat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2019 05:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).