NASA delays its much-anticipated manned moon mission
The timeline for sending astronauts to the Moon has been delayed until 2027. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Plans to send astronauts to the Moon have been postponed until 2027, as NASA has announced further delays to two of its flagship lunar missions, Artemis II and III, due to technical challenges. The agency now anticipates that Artemis II will take place in 2026 and Artemis III in 2027, which is nearly two years later than the original schedule.
The Artemis mission, initiated in 2017, is named after the Greek goddess of the Moon, who is Apollo's twin sister. This naming choice honors NASA's historical achievement of landing the first man on the Moon in 1969, as the current initiative aims to land the first woman on the lunar surface.
The Artemis program is set to utilize the partially reusable Orion spacecraft, developed by US-based Lockheed Martin and European-based Airbus, along with the American-built Space Launch System rocket.
On Thursday, NASA stated that it has "done extensive testing to understand the risk that our astronauts will have while accomplishing the goals of landing back on the Moon." The agency noted that this testing revealed the underlying issues with the Orion heat shield.
The Artemis II mission is now slated for April 2026, while Artemis III is expected to occur in mid-2027 at the earliest. Initial plans included sending two US astronauts, including a woman, to the Moon as early as this year, marking more than 50 years since Neil Armstrong first set foot on the lunar surface on July 21, 1969. The Artemis I and II missions are designed for the Orion spacecraft to conduct an uncrewed orbit around the Moon before undertaking a crewed mission to land.
The primary objective of the Artemis program is to advance lunar exploration, but it also aims to establish a foundation for future missions to Mars, even if such plans are still in the distant future. Currently, NASA is looking at a crewed mission to Mars in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
In light of the revised timeline, NASA administrator Bill Nelson remarked that the target of mid-2027 "will be well ahead of the Chinese government’s announced intention" to land Chinese astronauts on the Moon by 2030. The United States and China are both vying to send astronauts to the Moon, with each nation forming partnerships and engaging private companies to achieve their ambitious goals.
Additionally, earlier this week, US President-elect Donald Trump selected Jared Isaacman, the billionaire CEO of payments company Shift4, to lead NASA. Isaacman has previously participated in two private spaceflights and has experience with spacewalks.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
The Artemis mission, initiated in 2017, is named after the Greek goddess of the Moon, who is Apollo's twin sister. This naming choice honors NASA's historical achievement of landing the first man on the Moon in 1969, as the current initiative aims to land the first woman on the lunar surface.
The Artemis program is set to utilize the partially reusable Orion spacecraft, developed by US-based Lockheed Martin and European-based Airbus, along with the American-built Space Launch System rocket.
On Thursday, NASA stated that it has "done extensive testing to understand the risk that our astronauts will have while accomplishing the goals of landing back on the Moon." The agency noted that this testing revealed the underlying issues with the Orion heat shield.
The Artemis II mission is now slated for April 2026, while Artemis III is expected to occur in mid-2027 at the earliest. Initial plans included sending two US astronauts, including a woman, to the Moon as early as this year, marking more than 50 years since Neil Armstrong first set foot on the lunar surface on July 21, 1969. The Artemis I and II missions are designed for the Orion spacecraft to conduct an uncrewed orbit around the Moon before undertaking a crewed mission to land.
The primary objective of the Artemis program is to advance lunar exploration, but it also aims to establish a foundation for future missions to Mars, even if such plans are still in the distant future. Currently, NASA is looking at a crewed mission to Mars in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
In light of the revised timeline, NASA administrator Bill Nelson remarked that the target of mid-2027 "will be well ahead of the Chinese government’s announced intention" to land Chinese astronauts on the Moon by 2030. The United States and China are both vying to send astronauts to the Moon, with each nation forming partnerships and engaging private companies to achieve their ambitious goals.
Additionally, earlier this week, US President-elect Donald Trump selected Jared Isaacman, the billionaire CEO of payments company Shift4, to lead NASA. Isaacman has previously participated in two private spaceflights and has experience with spacewalks.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
