Getting humans back to the Moon will take some time. NASA announced that will delay the Artemis II and Artemis III missions by almost a year eachin order to continue work on the preparation of the Orion capsule.
Here, Artemis IIwhich will take four astronauts around the moon for 10 days, is now planning to take off in April 2026. Let us recall that this mission was supposed to launch in September of this year, but in early January NASA postponed it until September 2025. However, this goal is now excluded.
In case Artemis IIIwhich will mark the return of humans to the lunar surface after more than 50 years, the US space agency has indicated it has been postponed until mid-2027. The decision is not surprising given that the target set for September 2026 was quite difficult to achieve.
NASA took the opportunity to provide a status update heat shield Orion after what happened to Artemis I. Let’s keep in mind that part of the capsule protection that was used in that mission they became charred and suddenly came off. However, engineers determined that this did not affect cabin safety and would not have endangered the lives of the astronauts if it had been a manned test.
For this reason, Artemis II will use a heat shield already installed in the mission’s intended capsule. However, NASA needs more time to complete environmental control work and work on Orion’s life support systems.
Artemis II has been delayed until 2026, and Artemis III until 2027.
In the case of Artemis III, which will take astronauts to the region near the moon’s south pole for the first time, NASA indicates that they are already preparing the Orion spacecraft. The mission, which will launch in 2027, will use both what was learned in Artemis I and what will happen with Artemis II.
The agency explains that they are being implemented improvements in heat shield production applies to manned flights and lunar landings. The goal is to continue collecting information to develop the necessary technologies in time for the first human expedition to Mars.
Artemis II has confirmed its crew in 2023. It will include Americans. Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch And Reed Wisemanplus Canadian Jeremy Hansen. Although the team will reach the Moon but not descend to its surface, this will mark two very important milestones. That’s because Hammock Koch will become the first woman in history to orbit Earth’s natural satellite, and Glover will become the first black person to do so.
Meanwhile, for Artemis III Axiom of Space recently unveiled a spacesuit that astronauts will use on the Moon, which he developed with Prada. The equipment is highly stable without compromising comfort and maneuverability. Additionally, it is equipped with 4G LTE connectivity and a host of technological advancements to enable crew members to carry out all their missions in outer space without any hassle.
The new delay of Artemis II and Artemis III is also good news for private contractors such as SpaceX. The 2027 mission will use lunar lander based on Starshipbut Elon Musk’s firm still has several problems to overcome. Among many, make sure your giant ship can refuel several times in space docking with other starships.
The Artemis program is one of the most ambitious in NASA history. However, the project was heavily criticized due to exorbitant costs and missed deadlines. He SLS rocketfrom Boeing, has been in the spotlight several times due to a 6-year delay and a cost of $6 billion more than planned. It even prompted a former NASA administrator to call for the program’s cancellation.
Source: Hiper Textual
