NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon are facing another delay.
On Tuesday, the space agency announced that the next Artemis mission, intended to send three astronauts on a flight around the moon using a next-generation capsule, will now launch in September 2025, postponing the original schedule for later this year.
The subsequent mission, aiming to land astronauts on the lunar surface near the moon’s south pole, will be pushed back to September 2026.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized, “We are returning to the moon in a way we never have before, and the safety of our astronauts is NASA’s top priority as we prepare for future Artemis missions.”
This recent setback adds to the challenges faced by NASA’s Artemis program, characterized by years of delays and budget overruns.
The agency has allocated over $42 billion over more than a decade for the development of a new megarocket and spacecraft essential for taking astronauts back to the moon.
