A European astronaut could be on a mission to the Moon by the end of the decade, the head of the European Space Agency (ESA) has said. ESA director-general Jan Woerner said he prefers to think of missions to the Earth’s satellite as going “forward” to the Moon, rather than “going back” to it. He added that he thinks it is unlikely people will be on the surface of the Moon in 2024, and that it will probably take a couple more years. Speaking at a press briefing, Prof Woerner said: “What I heard all the time – also during the Trump administration – but what we heard from Nasa is that the schedule to go to the Moon and land people on the surface of the Moon in 2024 is really difficult.