NASA has postponed the return of man to the moon

NASA announced that the Artemis 2 mission, which was supposed to send astronauts into lunar orbit, has been delayed until April 2026. Also, the Artemis 3 mission, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface, is now scheduled for mid-2027. These delays are due to technical issues and the need to improve equipment.

According to Tekna Technology Media Astronomy News Service, Artemis 2 will be a 10-day mission that will carry four astronauts including Christina Koch, Reid Weisman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen (from Canada) into lunar orbit. In this mission, there will not be a landing on the surface of the moon, but the astronauts will go to the moon’s orbit for the first time on board the rocket “Space Launcher System” of NASA and the capsule “Orion”. The mission ends with a planned landing in the Pacific Ocean.

This mission will follow Artemis 1, which was the first unmanned test of the Artemis program. Artemis 1 was launched in November 2022, after many delays due to technical problems and weather conditions. Although the mission was successful, an unexpected burn was observed on the Orion capsule’s heat shield, which occurred due to the incomplete evacuation of gases produced in the avoquat material. This caused a part of the shield to crack and separate.

NASA has announced that for the Artemis 2 mission, changes have been made to the path of the capsule’s entry into the Earth’s atmosphere to ensure the safety of the crew. These changes are based on the findings of Artemis 1 and the new capsule is prepared with an improved heat shield.

Meanwhile, Katherine Koerner, deputy director of NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission, emphasized: “These updates will help us successfully pursue our goals on the Moon and develop the technologies necessary for future missions to Mars.” For the Artemis 3 mission, NASA is making improvements to the way heat shields are built to ensure the safety of astronauts’ return from the moon.