NASA delays Artemis II human moon mission once again as it wraps up heat shield investigation
NPR Online NewsNOV 22 2024
NASA Delays Artemis Moon Missions
Above: On Dec. 5, 2024, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson talks at a press conference announcing the Artemis campaign at NASA Headquarters' James E. Webb Auditorium. The US plans to land humans on the Moon and build a station there. Image copyright: Amid Farahi/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
NASA's Artemis lunar program, aimed at landing astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972, has been pushed to at least mid-2027 from the originally scheduled 2026 due to technical probes and improvements.
NASA head Bill Nelson said on Thursday that the Artemis II mission to first send four astronauts around the moon has also slipped from next September to April 2026 to address issues with the agency's next-gen Orion space capsule.
Nelson emphasized mission safety, saying "we do not fly until we are confident" that the Orion capsule can securely transport astronauts to deep space and back. "Space is demanding" and "we need to do it right,” he said.
The Spin
Narrative A
The delays are necessary and responsible given the unprecedented technical challenges and safety considerations involved in returning humans to the moon, especially with new spacecraft and technologies that require thorough testing and validation.
Narrative B
The extended timeline reflects NASA's diminished resources compared to the Apollo era, with significantly fewer personnel and a smaller budget hampering the agency's ability to maintain ambitious schedules while ensuring mission success.