2024-01-11 23:52:21
During the last decade, the international astronomical community has shown renewed interest in exploring the lunar surface once more, which has not received human visits for years.
(Also read: The Peregrine module is still in operation, but it will not reach the Moon).
That is why NASA created the Artemis program, which seeks to return astronauts to the Earth’s satellite as soon as this year. However, the agency announced in recent days that it was introducing a series of delays that would move the date of the next Artemis missions by at least a year.
The Artemis III mission, which seeks to land a team of astronauts on the moon, will move from its planned date, in 2025, to at least September 2026.
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The main reasons for the delay of the Artemis III mission, as explained by ‘CNN’, include the ongoing efforts of the SpaceX company to complete the ‘Starship’ spacecraft, whose two test launches in 2023 ended in explosions.
(More information: Starship: did the rocket test flight fail or was it a success?).
The idea of the space community is that the Starship transports astronauts from lunar orbit to its south pole, an essential task for the safe transport of humans to the celestial body.
According to Jessica Jensen, vice president of operations and customer integration at SpaceX, the Starship might be ready for a third test launch in February 2024. However, whether it will fail or be successful is still a mystery.
On the other hand, NASA also announced that it is experiencing delays with the suits that astronauts will wear on the moon, undoubtedly another crucial factor for the safety of the Artemis III mission.
Additionally, the Artemis II mission, which only seeks to have a team of 4 astronauts fly close to lunar orbit, will not be launched in November 2024, as planned, but will now take place in September 2025.
(Related: NASA shows a prototype of the spacesuit that will be used on Artemis III).
This delay is due to a series of problems that have arisen with the Orion crew capsule. NASA had already announced that this capsule had eroded unexpectedly during the Artemis I mission in 2022, which did not carry a crew. This failure might call into question the safety of the astronauts.
Additionally, the Orion capsule also needs work on the life support system and valves, which failed in early tests, explains Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator of NASA’s Moon to Mars Program.
ALEJANDRO VICTORIA TOBÓN
DIGITAL SCOPE EDITORIAL
TIME
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