NASA delaying Artemis moon mission again, as space race intensifies with China

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Published  December 5, 2024 7:46pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
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NASA delaying Artemis moon mission to 2027

NASA announced new delays to its Artemis mission while facing new pressure to get astronauts back to the moon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - NASA announced new delays to its Artemis mission while facing new pressure to get astronauts back to the moon. 

At a Thursday press briefing with agency leaders, NASA announced Artemis II was being pushed back again. It won’t launch until April 2026. 

That bumps Artemis III to at least 2027, but these setbacks come as China also ramps up its efforts to reach the moon as fast as possible. 

A big setback for NASA has been problems with the Artemis I heat shields. Leaders say they didn’t put any pressure on the teams looking into what went wrong with the heat shields because they didn't want to rush the process. 

After more than 100 tests, engineers are confident in the technology moving forward but can’t afford more delays like this. 

"Delays are agonizing, and slowing down is agonizing. It’s not what we like to do," said Artemis astronaut Reid Wiseman. 

The delays were necessary because when Artemis I came back to earth, engineers discovered dangerous data about the Orion heat shield.

"We had to understand why that erosion variation in the heat shield occurred to make sure our astronauts would be safe during Artemis II," said Pam Melroy, NASA’s Deputy Administrator.

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After years of troubleshooting, engineers said the heat shield didn’t allow enough gases to escape on the descent, which caused some of the shield to crack and break off.

That problem is in the past now.

"We have sized up all of our production capability in order to quickly produce heat shields as fast as we can," said Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator. 

NASA now has a new problem that doesn’t have anything to do with its technology. 

"It is vital for us to land on the South Pole, so we do not cede a portion of the South Pole to the Chinese," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. 

China says it wants to reach the moon by 2030, so NASA can’t keep delaying this mission much longer.

"We must all do what we can to honor schedule requirements," concluded Jim Free, NASA’s Associate Administrator. 

This urgency isn’t just needed from NASA. Commercial companies and international partners also need to pick up the pace on the mission because these delays end up costing taxpayers. Reports show, Artemis is already $6 billion over budget. 

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