As NASA and its contractors continue to push the Artemis program, a new report from the US Government Accountability Office (an independent, nonpartisan “congressional watchdog”) found that the first humans are likely to return to Earth. Moon in 2027, two years. after NASA’s stated goal.
The Artemis program was launched in 2017 with the goal of sending astronauts back to the Moon and possibly Mars, but has faced delays since its inception.
NASA launched the Artemis I rocket mission in 2022 and has maintained that it intends to send a crew on Artemis II around the Moon in late 2024.
The results of the 2024 mission would affect any decisions for the 2025 moon landing mission, but some government officials said NASA’s timeline is too ambitious and the agency is likely on track to miss crucial goals.
“The complexity of human spaceflight suggests that it is unrealistic to expect the program to complete development more than a year faster than the average for NASA’s large projects, most of which are not human spaceflight projects.” , stated the authors of the GAO report. “GAO found that if development took as long as the average for NASA’s large projects, the Artemis III mission would likely occur in early 2027.”
The report highlighted much remaining work from both SpaceX and Axiom, which are the prime contractors for the Artemis program.
The Artemis II mission crew of NASA astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman (seated), Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen pose for a photo on April 3, 2023. NASA /INSTARimages
A critical part of the mission is considered to be SpaceX’s Starship rocket, which has been in development in Texas.
The private space company owned by CEO Elon Musk has yet to successfully complete a rocket test proving the spacecraft is capable of reaching orbit and returning to Earth.
Despite spectacular failures that led to explosions, SpaceX and NASA officials have praised the progress made on the Starship rocket.
“Congratulations to the teams that made progress in today’s flight test.” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said after failed test mission on November 18. “Space flight is a bold adventure that requires a positive spirit and bold innovation. Today’s exam is an opportunity to learn and then fly again. “Together, NASA and SpaceX will return humanity to the Moon, Mars and beyond.”
Another sticking point, according to the GAO, is the design of Axiom’s spacesuits.
NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket sits at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad Complex 39B ahead of its launch on June 15, 2022. AFP via Getty Images
The suit’s original design reportedly did not provide the amount of emergency life support needed for the Artemis III mission.
This has caused engineers to go back to the drawing board to see if there is a way to encapsulate more oxygen, which could cause delays to the overall mission.
NASA leadership said in July that it was reviewing the Human Landing System schedule and would adjust the launch date as necessary.
If any of the contractors cannot meet NASA’s requirements, it is unclear whether the space agency is in a position to adopt an alternative plan to successfully complete the launch, landing and return.
NASA officials told GAO they are applying NASA guidance and best practices from previous human spaceflight efforts to the Artemis mission to achieve flight certification.
NASA’s mission plan for how Artemis III will launch from Earth and land on the moon. POT
Sending humans to space is difficult
Artemis is not the first American space program to have faced difficulties and long delays.
The Apollo program was originally proposed in 1960 during the Eisenhower administration, but did not land the first humans on the Moon until 1969.
Due to frustrations over schedule delays and budget overruns, an extensive review was launched criticizing contractors and government management.
Early plans for the Space Shuttle program, known as the Space Transportation System, date back to the 1960s, but it was not first launched until 1981.
An investigation by the U.S. Comptroller General said years of delays “were the result of the identification of new requirements, funding restrictions, and system development difficulties.”
Stu McClung, chief of staff, program planning and controls for NASA’s Orion program, walks through a training mockup while talking about the Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on May 17, 2022. Houston Chronicle via Getty Image
If the Artemis III team can stick to the 2025 release date, it would actually buck the trend of long delays.
“We don’t launch until it’s right,” Nelson said after an Artemis I launch attempt was called off. “You don’t want to light the candle until it’s ready to go.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn