United States: NASA postpones its manned mission to the Moon until 2025

NASA will not send a manned mission to the Moon until at least 2025. Agency administrator Bill Nelson said on Tuesday, a one-year delay in the deadline set during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump.

The foregoing, following a judge’s decision to keep NASA’s SpaceX selection Developing and demonstrating a modern manned lunar lander For astronauts returning to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

Bill Nelson was appointed head of the space agency by President Joe Biden. Led the mission to send humans to the Moon for the first time since the 1970s.

Biden agreed to continue a program known as Artemis, which Trump started with put astronauts on Earth’s satellite by 2024, Human arrival on Mars is intended to be the prelude to an even more ambitious future.

NASA administrator said he is pleased with the assessment made by the United States Court of Federal Claims Development of the Human Landing System (HLS), so talks with SpaceX have already resumed.

The Orion spacecraft crew capsule at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Photo. Reuters

“It’s clear that we both look forward to getting back together and establishing a new timeline for our initial lunar demonstration mission,” Nelson said. “Returning to the Moon as quickly and safely as possible is a priority for the agency. However, with recent demand and other factors, The first manned landing under Artemis is likely to happen no earlier than 2025.”

He remarked that the intention is for the United States to return to the Moon before China., because your space program is very good and you have made some achievements.

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Before that mission to the surface, NASA will focus on flight tests of the unmanned Artemis I and Artemis II with the crew around the Moon.

Nelson announced that the development cost of the Orion spacecraft is estimated at $9.3 billion., since it began in 2012, until the first flight test with a crew, which would take place no later than May 2024.

The Orion spacecraft crew landing capsule of NASA’s Artemis program. Photo: Reuters.

The Artemis II mission involves sending astronauts into space aboard Orion, a mission no human has ever traveled before. About 64,373 kilometers from the Moon, before returning to Earth.

Those missions, as well as future unmanned lander demonstration missions with SpaceX, Artemis III will precede the manned lunar landing mission.

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Nelson noted that the delay in the lunar landing is due, in part, to Congress didn’t allocate enough money for the Human Landing System, Covid-19 pandemic as proposed landing target by Donald Trump government This is not technically possible.

“Looking forward, NASA is planning at least 10 moon landings in the future., and the agency needs a significant increase in funding for future lander competition starting with the 2023 budget,” Nelson said. In the meantime, efforts are being made to reduce costs and optimize operations.

(with information from Reuters and NASA)