NASA postponed the launch of the lunar missions Artemis II and Artemis III – Kommersant
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has postponed its Artemis II and Artemis III programs to land astronauts on the Moon, NASA head Bill Nelson said. It was originally planned that the Artemis II program would be completed at the end of 2024, Artemis III – in 2025.
“Safety is our top priority and we want to give the Artemis teams more time to overcome the challenges of early development. During testing of components necessary to ensure the safety of the crew and the success of the mission, problems were identified with the battery and with a component of the system responsible for air ventilation and temperature control,” Mr. Nelson said. The launch of Artemis II is now scheduled for September 2025, and Artemis III for September 2026.
Given the updated launch schedule for Artemis II and Artemis III, NASA has also decided to revise the launch dates for the first elements to create the Gateway international manned cislunar station. The mission was previously scheduled for October 2025.
As part of the Artemis I program, the Orion spacecraft was successfully launched to the Moon in August 2022, orbited it, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in November. Artemis II envisaged a lunar flyby with a crew of four at the end of 2024. Artemis III involves the first landing of astronauts at the south pole of the Moon.
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