The Artemis project has been postponed again. NASA confirmed in a press conference that the Artemis II and III missions will have a change in their schedule due to modifications in the heat shield of the ships that will orbit the Moon. The new plan to achieve a sustained and sustainable presence on the Moon will begin in mid-2026.
The Artemis II mission will be the first manned mission to reach the Moon, although astronauts will not touch its surface. The Orion spacecraft will be limited to orbiting the Moon for 10 days to test new technology that NASA and its partners have been working on. Takeoff was scheduled for September 2025, but following the space agency’s announcement, launch is expected no earlier than April 2026.
The focus of the Artemis project is on the third mission, which not only involves the return to the lunar surface after a 50-year wait, but also has the responsibility of taking the first woman to the satellite. The exploration suits they will wear are made by Prada and have been described as vehicles rather than clothing. Following the adjustment of Artemis II, the lunar landing is now projected for mid-2027.
Crew safety is the priority
For Bill Nelson, current NASA administrator, patience is essential at this stage. The Artemis project is an unprecedented effort. For the future of lunar bases to be assured, it is crucial to guarantee the integrity of the crew of the first missions. If scientists need a few more months to perfect the craft the astronauts will use, they will be allowed without pressure.
“We have made significant progress on the Artemis campaign over the past four years, and I am proud of the work our teams have done to prepare for this next step forward in exploration as we seek to learn more about Orion’s life support systems to maintain crew operations during Artemis II. We have to do this next test flight right. “This is how the Artemis campaign succeeds,” Nelson said at the conference.
The president-elect of the United States proposes Jared Isaacman, businessman and astronaut, to manage all the resources of the country’s space agency.
Heat shield problems
When a ship rubs against the Earth’s atmosphere, the temperature around it shoots up to 1,500°C. NASA testing of Artemis materials revealed problems with the heat shield, responsible for protecting the crew from extreme heat. Upon re-entry to the planet, the Artemis I capsule cracked in part of its surface, causing charred material to fall off.
NASA has spent the last two years investigating why the heat shield problem occurred. After 100 tests in different facilities, the space agency is ready to make the necessary changes to prevent a new crack. This involves rebuilding some parts with what has been learned and putting them together again. The additional work adds months or years to the tentative schedule of the Artemis program.
“Throughout our process to investigate the heat shield phenomenon and determine a path forward, we have remained true to NASA’s core values; security and data-driven analysis remained at the forefront. The updates to our mission plans are a positive step to ensure that we can safely meet our objectives on the Moon and develop the technologies and capabilities necessary for manned missions to Mars,” said Catherine Koerner, associate administrator of the Mission Directorate. of Exploration Systems Development at NASA headquarters in Washington.
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