NASA Artemis Gets 1-Year Delay, ‘Crew Safety’ its Top Priority—Here’s New Schedule

The supposed start of NASA's Artemis moon mission flights was set for 2024, but the bad news is, that it is getting delayed by as much as one year before the fated return. After Artemis I's success, many have believed that NASA would be gearing up to send their selected astronauts, including the first female to join the mission, to the natural satellite, but for now, safety is its top priority, said earlier today.

Despite the earlier Apollo missions that saw success in their trip to the lunar surface, Artemis would be a different approach towards bringing humans back, as regarded by NASA.

NASA Artemis Gets 1-Year Delay for Crewed Mission

The latest developments of NASA officials on the Artemis Moon see an unfortunate delay, and this centers on around one year after its supposed flights on the different missions set by the space agency.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated in the meeting that "Safety is our top priority," emphasizing the entirety of the program, as well as its astronauts that will take on the rigorous journey to the Moon and back.

In 2023, Amit Kshatriya, a NASA engineer on this lunar program, highlighted three key points for Artemis II that need work. First off, one of the reasons that NASA focused on is Orion's 2022 return to the planet, where pieces of the burnt heat shield flew off from it, and does not want it to affect future missions.

Second, it is with the Orion's abort system from the SLS rocket, with its batteries subject to being damaged. Lastly, Artemis III's Orion components delivered to NASA found issues in several motor valve circuitry, leading to the discovery of a design flaw.

Here's the New Schedule for Artemis Missions

According to NASA, the delay would take as much as a year for the three upcoming missions, centering on their safety concerns.

• Artemis II: September 2025 launch date - a crewed mission that would center on the flyby of the Moon and back.
• Artemis III: September 2026 - the first landing of astronauts near the Lunar South Pole.
• Artemis IV: on track for 2028 - the first mission to the Gateway lunar space station.

NASA's Artemis Moon Mission

November 2022 has marked yet again another milestone for NASA's goal of bringing back humans to the Moon, and this is with the launch of its Artemis I mission that centered on an uncrewed flight. It brought the SLS and Orion to the Moon and back, offering significant insights as to how the trip would be for the future undertakings where astronauts would be inside its cabins.

Last year was filled with more preparations for the Artemis mission, with the renowned Artemis II launch now bringing its crew members for a flyby aboard the Orion and back to the planet. In July 2023, NASA completed a successful Artemis II launch simulation which was regarded as a significant milestone towards the real thing, initially set for late 2024 to commence.

Despite the successes and achievements in the previous missions, NASA is still delaying the Artemis' progression because of safety concerns, something that it wants to ensure before sending off its crew to the Moon. These new dates set by the space agency are the "realistic" ones compared to the original, emphasizing its crew's safety over the immediacy of the mission.