NASA's Artemis Delays: Moon Mission Setbacks

NASA announced further delays in the Artemis programme, pushing the next mission to April 2026 and the moon landing to 2027. The programme aims to send astronauts around and onto the moon, following challenges with the Orion capsule. Adjustments will be made to ensure mission success.

In a significant update to its lunar ambitions, NASA announced on Thursday that the timeline for the Artemis programme has been postponed once again. Originally planned for 2025, the next mission under this programme, slated to send four astronauts in a lunar flyby, is now scheduled for April 2026.

This adjusted schedule consequently delays the subsequent Artemis mission, which aims to achieve a moon landing, moving it back to at least 2027. The announcement came after NASA had initially aimed for a 2026 landing.

A critical issue arose during Artemis' first mission when an Orion capsule, after a successful lunar orbit, returned with significant heat shield erosion. Engineers have since identified the problem and are planning to modify the reentry path to avoid similar issues in future missions.

(With inputs from agencies.)