Space & Astronomy

NASA's next two Artemis Moon missions have been delayed again

By T.K. Randall
January 14, 2024

Image: Artemis 2 Crew Portrait
Credit: Josh Valcarcel / (PD) NASA It's hard to believe that it has been over 50 years since humans last went to the Moon, but now thanks to NASA's Artemis program, it looks as though we won't have to wait too long for a return visit.

That said, the space agency announced last week that we will likely have to wait just a little bit longer.

Artemis I, which saw an unmanned spacecraft orbit the Moon, launched on November 16th, 2022, while Artemis II - essentially a crewed version of the same mission - had been set to launch later this year.

Artemis III, which will see the first humans land on the lunar surface since the Apollo program, had been planned for 2025.

Now according to NASA, both Artemis II and Artemis III have been pushed back another year, meaning that the earliest we are likely to see a crewed orbit of the Moon is September 2025.Artemis III, meanwhile, likely won't happen until at least September 2026.

"As we remind everybody at every turn, safety is our top priority," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

"To give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges with first-time developments and integration, we're going to give (them) more time on Artemis II and III."

"We are adjusting our schedule to target Artemis II for September of 2025 and September of 2026 for Artemis III, which will send humans for the first time to the lunar south pole."

"Artemis IV remains on track for September 2028, and though challenges are clearly ahead, our teams are making incredible progress."

Source: AP News

Tags: Artemis, NASA, Moon