The postponement comes as the space agency investigates why the heat shield of the Orion spacecraft carrying Artemis astronauts to the moon showed more scorching than expected during an uncrewed test flight in late 2022. NASA also said that development of the spacecraft to shuttle astronauts to and from the moon, and the development of the spacesuits they will wear on the moon, is impacting the timeline.
In addition to these delays, NASA’s inspector general said in a report released Wednesday that the total cost of the program from 2012 to 2025 could reach $93 billion.
“NASA faces additional challenges to meet Artemis’ goals. Most importantly, resolve technical issues that could threaten the safety of astronauts,” said NASA’s Inspector General. Acting Representative George Scott told lawmakers during a hearing of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. “Government agencies must do this while also addressing long-standing concerns such as unsustainable costs, unreliable project schedules, and a lack of transparency in funding needs.”
Taken together, these challenges could mean that China, which is also aiming to reach the moon, could be able to send astronauts there before NASA returns, the committee’s chairman said. said Representative Frank Lucas (R-Oklahoma) at the hearing.
“I remind my colleagues that our country is not alone in its interest in sending humans to the moon,” he said. “The Chinese Communist Party is actively recruiting international partners for lunar missions and lunar research stations, and has expressed its ambition to land manned astronauts on the moon by 2030. “Countries will have the ability to set that precedent. Future lunar activities may be conducted openly and transparently or in a more restricted manner.”
Mike Griffin, a former NASA administrator who also held senior roles at the Pentagon, said the U.S. hasn’t shown a sense of urgency to stay ahead of China. “Our self-proclaimed adversary, the Chinese Communist Party, along with its Russian partners, fully understands the role that its presence on the space frontier plays in the world of global power politics,” he said. “We don’t seem to understand that anymore. It’s unacceptable for the United States and its partners not to go to the moon when other countries are going to the moon.”
NASA completed the first flight of the Orion crew capsule in late 2022, flying unmanned around the moon in a mission known as Artemis I. But since then, NASA has been studying the unexpected erosion of the heat shield. The capsule traveled through the atmosphere at about 25,000 miles per hour and reached temperatures of nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
NASA officials said last week that they are working to resolve problems with the capsule’s life support system circuitry and the emergency abort system that moves the capsule away from the rocket in an emergency.
These issues are a sign that NASA is flying the Artemis II mission, which will send NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reed Wiseman, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day lunar orbit. This needs to be resolved before being sent on a trip.
“I want to emphasize that safety is our top priority,” NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Freeh said at a briefing last week announcing the delay. “As we prepare to send our friends and colleagues on this mission, we are committed to launching as safely as possible. And when we are ready, we will depart.”
Even with delays, Nelson said, NASA should be in a position to land astronauts on the moon with the Artemis III mission before China. he said at the briefing.
“There is no concern that China will land before us,” he said. “I think China has very aggressive plans. I think they want to land before us because that could give them a PR effect. . But actually, I don’t think they will.”
After sending probes into lunar orbit in 2007 and again in 2010, China landed Chang’e 3 in 2013, becoming the first country to make a soft landing on the lunar surface since the U.S.-Soviet conflict 50 years ago. Ta. . In early 2019, China became the first country to land a probe on the far side of the moon. In 2020, they brought back samples from the moon.
Later this year, it plans to land the spacecraft again on the other side of the world, this time to bring samples back to Earth, in what will be another impressive demonstration of its growing capabilities and ambitions. Eventually, China announced plans to build a base near the moon’s south pole, where water exists in the form of ice in permanently shadowed craters. Antarctica is also where NASA is planning to go as part of its Artemis program.
Competition with China is one of the main reasons the Biden administration adopted Artemis. Artemis was born during the Trump administration, making it the first deep space human exploration program to survive a presidential transition since the Apollo era. The Trump administration originally directed NASA to land astronauts on the moon by 2024, but President Biden pushed back that schedule to 2025 after reviewing the plan.
Despite the delays, Artemis continues to enjoy bipartisan support in Congress, which is eager to see the first woman and first person of color walk on the moon, as NASA has promised. . However, China’s presence looms large over this plan.
“I support Artemis, but I want it to be successful,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said during Wednesday’s hearing, “especially with China on its heels.” he said.