The Artemis 3 space mission, tentatively scheduled to fly in December 2025, may have to wait until at least 2027.
NASA's endeavor to return humans to the moon, for the first time since the 1972 Apollo program, with the Artemis 3 mission will likely be delayed because it is jeopardized by "multiple challenges" and an ambitious schedule, the U.S. Government Accountability Office announced Nov. 30.
Based on interviews with NASA and industry officials and reviewing documentation, the GAO reported it found a significant amount of pending technical work on the human landing system or HLS, a variant of SpaceX's Starship and NASA's mode of transport to the moon's surface.
Also remaining is crucial design work to incorporate larger oxygen tanks into the space suits that would be used by astronauts on the moon, the report stated. (Space News 12/01/23) NASA's Artemis 3 astronaut moon landing unlikely before 2027, GAO report finds | Space
Artemis 2's scheduled mission with the first crewed flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft, is currently planned for launch no earlier than November 2024.
Regionally
* NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi achieved a key milestone June 22, completing an initial certification test series designed to pave the way for production of new RS-25 engines to help power NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on future Artemis missions to the Moon, beginning with Artemis V.
* Michoud's Assembly Center in New Orleans East is manufacturing and assembling the largest rocket stage NASA has ever constructed: The Space Launch System (SLS) core stage - the world’s most powerful rocket that will send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies on bold exploration missions to the Moon and beyond.
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