NASA has decided to postpone the launch of the Artemis II and Artemis III space missions because of problems with the system's components responsible for air ventilation and temperature control. The statement was published in the agency's website.
According to the report, it is now planned to postpone the Artemis II mission, in which four astronauts flew by the moon, by a year. It will be available in September 2025. The Artemis III mission is scheduled to land the first astronauts near the moon's south pole in September 2026.
According to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, the postponement of the mission to a later date was due to the safety of the astronauts.
In the course of testing the components necessary to ensure the safety of the crew and the success of the mission, it has been determined that the problems that will take more time to solve. The team is fixing problems with the battery and the system components responsible for air ventilation and temperature control," NASA said.
According to representatives of the agency, the Artemis IV mission to the moon should take place in 2028.
Artemis is a long-term research activity aimed at scientific exploration on the moon with astronauts and in preparation for future human missions to Mars. This means that we must do a good job in the development and launch of core systems so that we can carry out these tasks safely," said Amit Kshatriya, manager of NASA's Moon-Mars Program Office.
On January 8, the Peregrine lunar lander, owned by Astrobotic Technology, encountered "technical problems" after eight hours of flight. For the first time, the module failed to adjust the orientation of its solar array.
On Jan. 9, Astroboto said the module had no chance of a soft landing on the moon due to a fuel leak. According to the company, Peregrine's fuel reserves will be enough for 40 hours. At the same time, the flight to the moon should take about 47 days.