The setback is attributed to heat shield issues on the Orion spacecraft used for the Artemis mission|NASA HQ PHOTO|CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
NASA faces fresh delays in putting humans on the moon. The space agency announced that its Artemis II lunar mission, which will send four astronauts around the earth’s natural satellite, has been pushed from September 2025 to April 2026.
It is the second delay of the mission, which was earlier planned for late 2024.
The move further pushes the Artemis III mission, aiming for a lunar landing. It is now slated for mid-2027 instead of 2026.
These setbacks are attributed to heat shield issues on the Orion spacecraft that caused material breakdowns during reentry in its 2022 uncrewed Artemis test flight. Lockheed Martin, which developed the capsule, is collaborating with NASA to address the challenges.
Despite the delays, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson maintains confidence in landing astronauts on the Moon’s south pole before China, which plans a 2030 mission.
NASA has invested over $42 billion into the Artemis program to establish a Moon base as a springboard to Mars exploration. However, it is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.
The incoming Donald Trump administration could overhaul NASA’s moon mission altogether. Trump recently nominated entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA next year. He has questioned Artemis’s costs and efficiency in the past.