NASA delays Artemis moon missions once again

ktla ^ | 12/05/2024 | Vinay Simlot

[BenLurkin]

NASA announced it is delaying Artemis II and III missions, meant to take American astronauts back to the moon, because of a problem with the capsule’s heat shield.

Artemis II, a mission to take astronauts around the moon, was moved from September 2025 to April of 2026. Artemis III would land astronauts on the south pole of the moon, and likely won’t happen until mid-2027, NASA said.

NASA decided to push the launch of Artemis II because they found cracks in the heat shield after the Artemis I mission in 2022. Artemis I flew around the moon with no astronauts on board.

Nelson said NASA found the root cause of the cracks in the heat shield and is comfortable that they’ve found a “path forward.”

Nelson also emphasized, the new timeline would put astronauts on the moon well before 2030, when China would like to land on the moon.

Nelson and Lucas said it’s vital the U.S. land on the south pole of the moon, first. Scientists believe they could find water at the south pole of the moon, which could allow astronauts to refuel and launch for Mars.

Nelson said, though, he didn’t know whether China plans to land on the south pole of the moon or the equator in 2023.

[ealgeone]

First person to be fired by Trump: The idiot Bill Nelson.

[Reily]

My favorite line in the whole movie!

[NorthMountain]

There are indeed problems with the plan ...

[Theophilus]

Starship has not orbited even once yet. SpaceX is focused on recovery and reuse at a unprecedented tempo.

[Zathras]

NASA is feeling much like Intel and Microsoft.
All the “heavy lifters” have retired and the only ones left are the “yes men”