USA delayed his plans to take astronauts back to the surface of the Moon by 2026, as announced by Bill Nelson, the administrator of the POT.
Artemisnamed after the sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, was officially announced in 2017 as part of the US space agency’s plans to establish a permanent presence in Earth’s closest celestial neighbor and apply the notions learned there to a future trip to Mars.
Artemis’ missions to the Moon
The first mission, Artemis 1, was carried out in 2022, after several delays, and consisted of an unmanned round-trip flight to the Moon. The second, Artemis 2was postponed from the end of 2024 to September 2025, as indicated by Nelson himself. In this case, it will be manned, but without landing on the moon.
The mission is expected to Artemis 2 It lasts about 10 days with four astronauts on board as it passes around the Moon. Three Americans – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch– and the Canadian Jeremy Hansen They are already in the training phase.
The mission follows Artemis 3which will be historic, as it marks the return of two people to the surface of the Moon for the first time in 50 years. The astronauts will set foot on the south pole of the Moon. Will be on 2026.
Furthermore, the phase Artemis 4, which is still scheduled for September 2028it will be the first mission of the new station Gateaway.
Delayed for security reasons
“Safety is our top priority“recalled the director of the POTwho announced “more time to work on the development” of the project Artemis.
Despite the postponements, “I really don’t think China land (on the Moon) before us,” he considered.
This mission has been postponed for security reasons, as several problems must be resolved before takeoff, he explained. Amit Kshatriyaa senior official of the POT.
The first refers to the heat shield that protects the Orion capsule when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere. During Artemis 1, burned material was released, which was not expected. The conclusion of an investigation in this regard is awaited.
The POT He also wants more time to examine the batteries in Orion’s ejection system, which must work in case of problems during takeoff.
The project of returning to Moon The US agency also seeks to build a space station called Gatewaywhich will house spacecraft on subsequent missions.
The company SpaceX of the tycoon Elon Musk won the contract for the development of a landing system for Artemis 3based on a version of his rocket prototype Starshipstill far from ready after its two orbital tests failed.
Source: Ambito
