A delayed lunar target? A senior NASA official suggested Tuesday that the Artemis 3 mission, which will be the first to put Americans on the moon again, could be transformed into a “different mission” in the event of delays to certain key elements, including the lander. SpaceX landing. .
Artemis 2 will be out in November 2024
NASA’s Artemis program is comprised of missions of increasing difficulty aimed at establishing a lasting human presence on the Moon, in preparation for a journey to Mars. The first mission, Artemis 1, has already sent a spacecraft around the Moon in 2022, and Artemis 2 is due to do the same, but this time with a crew on board, in late 2024.
NASA listed a November 2024 date for Artemis 2 on Tuesday. Then, a year later, the Artemis 3 mission is due this time to bring astronauts to the lunar surface, for the first time since 1972.
This renewed interest in the Moon is “related to a potential for water,” because “if water is abundant enough, then you have a potential for hydrogen and oxygen,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained Tuesday.
“We go back there to learn how to live in a deep space environment, for long periods of time, so we can go to Mars and come back safely,” he continued.
A delay on the SpaceX side
For this historic mission, billionaire Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, is responsible for building the lander that will carry the Artemis 3 astronauts to lunar soil. But the machine is still far from ready. The lander will be a version of the Starship spacecraft, whose test flight a few months ago ended in a huge explosion shortly after liftoff.
The date of a new test flight is not yet known. SpaceX must carry out several test flights before being declared operational for Artemis 3, and they have not carried out any, Jim Free, NASA associate administrator, stressed during a press conference on Tuesday.
A “different mission” for Artemis 3?
“For Artemis 3, we are still working with everyone on the contract dates, which is December 2025,” Jim Free said.
But “we could end up flying a different mission,” he added. “If we have these long delays, we wonder if we can do other missions, if there’s any possibility.”
He did not exactly respond to a journalist who asked him if he would try to recirculate the Moon without landing there. Other missions in the Artemis program call for the construction of Gateway, a mini space station in orbit around the Moon.
Combinations also in development
Jim Free, who also noted Tuesday that another mission-critical element, spacesuits, was also in development, has in the past expressed concern about difficulties encountered by SpaceX in developing the Starship spacecraft.
He described a recent visit to Texas on Tuesday, where SpaceX is developing the future lander. NASA teams were able to “try to better understand their schedule,” she said, vowing to update on the matter once all the information was “digested.” “We don’t want a marginless calendar,” she said.
Source: BFM TV
