In a State of the Union address in which he touted the new branch of the military, the Space Force, and recognized a surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen, President Donald Trump also called on America to be “the first nation to plant its flag on Mars.”

The president pushed for Congress to “fully fund the Artemis program,” NASA’s effort to return to the Moon and eventually reach Mars. Trump said the project would assure that the “next man and first woman on the moon will be American astronauts."

The announcement garnered particular applause female members of Congress.

According to NASA, the Artemis program will see a mission to the Moon by 2024, using new technologies to explore more of the lunar surface.

“We will collaborate with our commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by 2028,” NASA says. “Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.”