NASA has delayed its plans to send astronauts back to the moon once again. The Artemis mission, aimed at establishing a sustainable presence on the lunar surface, has been pushed back by two years.
The new delays come after NASA’s examination of the Orion crew capsule and its heat shield revealed cracks and partial erosion during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The incident occurred during the 2022 uncrewed test mission, Artemis I.
Astronauts are now expected to loop around the moon in April 2026 and land on the lunar surface a year later, in one of Elon Musk’s Starship spacecrafts. This is well ahead of China’s planned lunar landing by 2030.
The Artemis programme, established under Donald Trump’s presidency, aims to return humans to the moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The program also includes building lunar bases that will help take humans to Mars in the future.
When Artemis III lands on the moon in 2027, it will be the first time a woman and a black astronaut will step onto the lunar surface.
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/nasa-delays-flagship-moon-landing-plans-once-again-13267843