NASA: We won't land on the moon this time | Astronauts | NASA
NASA officials said on the 8th that if the development progress of key systems cannot keep up, the manned moon landing program of Artemis 3 may not ultimately include the landing of astronauts on the moon.
Jim Freey, an official from NASA's Exploration Systems Development Task Force, told media reporters that if key equipment such as the manned lunar landing system developed by Space Exploration Technology Company is not in place in a timely manner, "we may ultimately execute a different mission.".
The US government announced the new moon landing plan for Artemis in 2019, and has now completed the moon orbiting mission of Artemis 1. NASA plans to carry out the manned moon orbit mission of Artemis 2 in November next year.
NASA has chosen the next-generation heavy carrier rocket Starship from the Space Exploration Technology Corporation as a means of transportation to carry American astronauts back to the moon, achieving the manned moon landing program of Artemis 3. However, the related research and development process has been delayed several times. According to the latest schedule, the Starship can send American astronauts to the moon as early as the end of 2025.
The Starship rocket and spacecraft integrated system underwent their first test launch in April this year, but shortly after the rocket took off, it exploded and the spacecraft failed to enter its intended orbit.
Frey said that NASA officials visited Spacecraft's Starship research and development base in Texas a few weeks ago to learn about the progress of rocket development on site. He is concerned about the current progress, "because the rocket has not been launched yet," and multiple test launches are needed before the rocket can truly be used.
According to Agence France Presse, the delay in the development of the "Starship" rocket has a related impact, involving the development progress of space suits and simulated spacecraft. Spacesuit contractors need to know how to connect and interact with spacecraft, while astronauts need to use simulated spacecraft to understand the various systems of the spacecraft.