NASA leadership is anticipated to announce a delay of several months for the first crewed mission of the Artemis program on Tuesday, as reported by a current and former NASA employee. The delay will impact the Artemis II mission, which was scheduled for launch in November and aims to send four astronauts on a journey to fly by the moon.
The mission is now anticipated to occur after 2025, as sources have confirmed long-standing speculation of an imminent delay. NASAs Inspector General mentioned potential delays in a November report, identifying three main challenges the space agency must overcome before safely sending humans to the moon.
The ground structure used to build, transport, and launch the massive Space Launch System rocket, known as Mobile Launcher 1, suffered more damage than anticipated. According to the November report, repairs to the structure are still in progress.
The heat shield on the Orion spacecraft, meant to house astronauts on Artemis II, unexpectedly eroded during reentry into Earth's atmosphere following Artemis I. It was exposed to temperatures about half as hot as the surface of the sun. Additionally, the Inspector General identified the primary critical path for the Artemis II mission as preparing the Orion for its first crew and integrating it with the European Service Module, which provides power and propulsion. In project planning, the "critical path" refers to the aspect of the mission that is expected to take the longest.
Artemis II aimed to build on the success of the Artemis I mission, which sent NASA's Orion capsule on an uncrewed test flight around the moon, covering a distance of 1.4 million miles. The Artemis I mission was completed in December 2022.
The Artemis II mission is poised to mark the first time humans will orbit the moon since the conclusion of the Apollo program. The crew, unveiled in April, features NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The mission is anticipated to span approximately 10 days and will propel the crew beyond the moon, potentially venturing farther into space than any human has previously traveled, although the exact distance has yet to be determined.
Artemis II is anticipated to set the stage for the Artemis III mission in the coming years, during which NASA has committed to sending a woman and person of color to the lunar surface for the first time. This mission will also signify the first human moon landing since the conclusion of the Apollo program in 1972.
While NASA is aiming for a 2025 launch date for Artemis III, the space agency's inspector general has indicated that delays are probable, potentially postponing the mission to 2026 or beyond.
