It was a flyover mission for the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission returning to Earth on April 11, 2026 after successfully completing their expedition around the Moon. They didn’t leave any footprints there, but that didn’t stop President Donald Trump from declaring that America was back. On the Moon and beyond.
Space is one of the few areas of competence of the federal government that has escaped budget cuts, and since his first term, Donald Trump had made it a priority. But do the United States really know where – and to what extent – they are going? Are the objectives scientific, economic, or primarily geopolitical?
Mélanie Chalandon and Marc Semo speak with Isabelle Sourbès-Verger, a geographer, CNRS research director, and specialist in space programs of emerging countries, and Paul Wohrer, a researcher in the Space program at IFRI.
Weekly, Cultures Monde presents a drawing in partnership with the association Cartooning for Peace, a platform that brings together the works of engaged press cartoonists who humorously fight for the respect of cultures and freedoms.
Atelier de Claire Planète
Reference: 20 minutes online, April 11, 2026
Musical Reference: The B-52’s – “Planet Claire” (1979)
