The American space agency has decided to revise the schedule and goals of the Artemis program, adding a phase of integrated systems testing near Earth before flying to the satellite. Now, the Artemis-3 mission, previously planned as a direct landing phase, will focus in 2027 on practicing the docking of the Orion spacecraft with a lunar lander in Earth orbit. This is reported by the BBC, writes UNN.
Details
NASA head Jared Isaacman explained these changes by the need to reduce risks for the crew and ensure continuity of launches to avoid long pauses in the implementation of the lunar program.
According to the updated plan, the first landing of astronauts on the Moon in half a century is now expected in 2028 as part of the Artemis-4 or Artemis-5 missions.
An additional flight in Earth orbit will allow specialists not only to test docking mechanisms but also to test new spacesuits in open space conditions before their use on the lunar surface. Isaacman emphasized that testing complex systems near Earth is a safer and more effective path to success than a direct landing attempt after a long break in SLS rocket flights.
Problems with landers and competition with SpaceX and Blue Origin
One of the key reasons for the program adjustment was the delay in the development of SpaceX's Starship rocket, which was supposed to deliver the lander.
Because of this, NASA asked Elon Musk to simplify the option of returning people to the Moon, and also urged Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin to accelerate work on its own module project. Meanwhile, preparations for the Artemis-2 crew's lunar flyby also faced difficulties: the launch was postponed to April due to a helium leak on the rocket, which has now been returned to the assembly shop for repairs.