NASA’s Artemis program, designed to return astronauts to the moon within this decade amidst a global resurgence in lunar exploration efforts, is experiencing significant delays, as disclosed by the space agency.
The Artemis III mission, aiming to achieve the crucial milestone of landing humans on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program, has been rescheduled and is now expected to launch no earlier than September 2026, according to NASA officials in a news conference on Tuesday.
The initial target had been set for 2025.
Key factors contributing to the delay revolve around the progress of SpaceX’s development of Starship, the expansive rocket and spacecraft system intended to transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s south pole.
Two Starship test flights in 2023 concluded with explosions, underscoring the challenges faced by SpaceX in perfecting its lunar lander, CNN reported.
The road ahead for SpaceX involves overcoming hurdles in the development of its lunar lander, especially in the context of fueling.
Even after demonstrating Starship’s ability to safely reach Earth’s orbit, the company must address the challenge of providing the necessary propellant for the vehicle to journey to the moon.
This task is anticipated to involve a minimum of 10 refueling flights, as outlined by Jessica Jensen, SpaceX’s vice president of customer operations and integration.
Written by B.C. Begley
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B.C. Begley 