NASA Pushes Back Astronaut Moon Landing to 2026
NASA's Artemis program, aimed at returning astronauts to the moon amidst global interest in lunar exploration, encounters significant delays, pushing the astronaut moon landing to at least 2026 A new space race emerges (346 characters)
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The Artemis program, NASA's initiative to return astronauts to the moon within this decade, is experiencing significant delays, according to the space agency. Join us to stay updated on this and more.
The Artemis III mission, which aims to place humans on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program, has been postponed to September 2026, according to NASA officials. Initially scheduled for 2025, the delay is primarily due to SpaceX's challenges in developing the Starship, the rocket and spacecraft system intended for transporting astronauts from lunar orbit to the moons south pole. Two test flights of the Starship in 2023 resulted in explosions, contributing to the setback.
SpaceX faces a daunting journey in the development of its lunar lander. Even after Starship proves its capability to safely reach Earth's orbit, the company still needs to figure out how to provide the vehicle with enough propellant to travel to the moon. This is projected to require at least 10 refueling flights, as stated by Jessica Jensen, SpaceX's vice president of customer operations and integration.
Final preparations for the Artemis I mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft stand on launch pad 39B on November 15, 2022. This marks NASA's third attempt to launch the unmanned mission to the moon, following technical and weather delays. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
First on CNN: NASA set to announce significant delay for crewed Artemis moon mission
"We need to be realistic. We are assessing our Starship progress, the need for propellant transfer, and the necessity for multiple landings," stated NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Jensen stated that SpaceX may be prepared to undergo its third Starship test flight in February, once it receives the required regulatory approvals. Additionally, NASA officials anticipate delays in the engineering of astronauts' spacesuits for lunar surface exploration. Both SpaceX's Starship development and the spacesuits are potential factors that could potentially impact the timeline for the Artemis III mission, as pointed out by government watchdogs, including NASA's inspector general.
CNN previously reported that NASA has announced a delay in its Artemis II mission, which was originally planned to launch in November of this year. The new target launch date for the mission, which aims to carry a four-person crew on a flyby of the Moon, is now September 2025. The delay is due in part to issues with the Orion crew capsule, specifically problems with the heat shield that protects the spacecraft during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. This issue became apparent during the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, according to Amit Kshatriya, the deputy associate administrator for NASAs Moon to Mars Program.
is heating up, with Kshatriya indicating that there is still a substantial amount of work remaining on the Orion crew capsules life support system and the failed valves from testing. According to NASA officials, the life support systems are expected to require the most extensive preparation for flight.
NASA is still on track to launch its Artemis IV mission in 2028, with the goal of sending astronauts to the upcoming space station known as Gateway, which will orbit the moon.
The revised timeline and adjustments to the mission represent a significant shift in expectations for the Artemis program, which is NASA's primary focus for human space exploration.
The primary objective of the Artemis program is to establish a lasting human presence on the moon, as several competing nations, such as China, pursue similar goals. In the 21st century, China has taken the lead in sending a robotic mission to the moon, successfully landing the first unmanned lander on the far side, and aims to land its own astronauts on the lunar surface by the end of the decade.
Date of Photo: March 29, 2023
Location: Bldg. 8, Room 183 - Photo Studio
Subject: Official crew portrait for Artemis II
From left to right: NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen
Photographer: Josh Valcarcel
Josh Valcarcel/NASA
The four astronauts NASA picked for the first crewed moon mission in 50 years
"NASA administrator Bill Nelson expressed confidence that China will not beat us in landing on the moon. While acknowledging China's ambitious plan, he reiterated his belief that they will not succeed before NASA. This announcement coincides with setbacks in NASA's CLPS program for robotic lunar exploration."
The space agency has forged partnerships with four companies to create landers capable of transporting scientific instruments and other cargo to the moon. Unfortunately, the first of these landers, the Astrobotic Peregrine lander, experienced a failure shortly after its launch on Monday. The company is now evaluating how to safely dispose of the vehicle, as it is running out of propellant while en route to the moon.
