NASA has delayed its Artemis missions to the moon, pushing back the first crewed landing of the program to 2027. The delays come after finding the root cause of erosion on the Orion heat shield during the Artemis 1 mission two years ago.
The revised schedule sees Artemis 2, originally set for September 2025, now launching in April 2026. This mission will send four astronauts around the moon on the first crewed flight of Orion.
Artemis 3, which was previously planned for September 2026, is now expected to take place in mid-2027. The delay affects SpaceX’s Starship vehicle, which was designed to carry the first crewed landing of the overall exploration campaign.
NASA investigated the heat shield erosion and found that it was caused by a combination of factors, including changes in the heat shield material and reentry profile. To address this issue, NASA will modify the reentry profile, reducing the duration of the skip phase, instead of replacing the completed heat shield for the Artemis 2 mission.
The delays come despite an impending presidential transition that may lead to a reexamination of the overall Artemis architecture. However, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that the current approach remains the best way to return humans to the moon before China’s anticipated 2030 lunar landing.
Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-further-delays-next-artemis-missions