Nasa delayed the return of astronauts to the moon until 2025, misses the Trump administration deadline.
The first moon landing by an astronaut in half a century was the goal of the space agency.
Bill Nelson, Nasa's administrator, announced Tuesday's delay, stating that Congress had not given enough money for a landing system to support its Artemis moon program, and that more money was needed to fund its Orion capsule. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’s rocket company, challenged the Starship lunar landing system being developed by SpaceX. This led to months of work on the project.
Officials stated that technology needed for spacesuits must be improved before astronauts can return to the moon.
Next February is the date that Nasa still plans to fly the Space Launch System (or SLS) with an Orion capsule. There will not be anyone aboard.
Instead, astronauts will be strapped in for the second Artemis flight in 2024, which will fly beyond the moon, but not land. Nelson said that this would increase the chances of landing on the moon to at least 2025.
Nelson stated that the human landing system was a critical part of our efforts to send the first woman and first person of color to the moon's surface. He added that he is getting ready to go. "Nasa is committed in helping America's standing within the world."
Nelson took note of China’s aggressive and ambitious space program and warned that it could surpass the US in lunar exploration.
The 1972 Apollo 17 moon landing was the last by Nasa astronauts. Twelve men have so far explored the lunar surface.
In 2019, Mike Pence, the former vice president of NASA, called for astronauts to be landed on the moon in five years. Nasa had been aiming for a lunar landing by 2028. Pushing it up by four more years was thought to be too ambitious.
Nelson stated that Congress must increase funding starting with the 2023 budget in order to allow Nasa private companies to compete for the 10 or more lunar landings by astronauts.
Also, Orion's budget request for Orion capsules is being increased by the space agency from $6.7bn up to $9.3bn. This is due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the US and storm damage at Nasa's Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, which is the main manufacturing site for Orion and SLS. The rocket's development costs for next year's first Artemis flight are $11bn.
Kamala Harris, the vice-president of NASA, will chair her first meeting as chair of the National Space Council on December 1. Nelson stated that he had provided updates to her about the latest schedules and costs while they visited Maryland's Goddard Space Flight Center.
