Nelson said that the Artemis II mission will carry astronauts around the moon without attempting to land. The current goal is to launch no earlier than May 2024. Artemis III is the first manned moon landing, probably not earlier than 2025.
The head of the space agency pointed out that NASA “lost seven months in the lawsuit”, referring to the proposal by Blue Origin and Dynetics after SpaceX’s interstellar spacecraft was selected as the only lunar lander for the Artemis project. Complaints and litigation. Nelson also cited the time lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic and added that the goal of landing on the moon again in 2024 is “not based on technical feasibility”.
Although NASA voluntarily suspended work on the interstellar spacecraft project with SpaceX while the Blue Origin lawsuit is pending, Elon Musk’s company continues to develop the next-generation spacecraft at its Texas factory. The lawsuit was dismissed last Thursday, and NASA announced that it would resume cooperation with SpaceX.
Nearly half a century has passed since humans first landed on the moon in 1972. NASA has promised to send the first female astronaut to the surface of the moon through Artemis, and to use this move to establish a permanent base on the moon, while also working to achieve the first human landing on Mars.
The interplanetary spacecraft is currently awaiting the Federal Aviation Administration’s environmental permit and launch permit for its first orbital flight, which will launch from Texas and land near the coast of Hawaii.