The United States, which was supposed to go to the moon track and completely left China behind, is now experiencing the most troubles. A few days ago, NASA admitted that the three most important things related to the moon landing: the launch vehicle, the lunar rover and the spacesuit, have all gone wrong, so the manned lunar orbit expected in the second half of this year will be postponed to next year, and the manned lunar landing will also be postponed for one year, postponed to 2026, which is the second postponement of the US lunar landing program. Originally, according to the "Artemis" program originally formulated, the United States would complete the feat of landing a manned person on the moon for the second time within this year. However, since the implementation of the "Artemis" plan, it has not been smooth, either there is a problem with this, or there is a shortcoming.
The first problem is the launch vehicle, the launch vehicle for the manned lunar landing program, developed by the American private aerospace company SpaceX, but this launch vehicle, in the previous two test launches, was not completely successful. Although Musk, the boss of SpaceX, said that there has been progress in every test launch, Musk does not know when he will be able to meet the standard of carrying astronauts and arriving on the moon safely. It is reported that in February this year, this carrier rocket will carry out its third test launch, and if this test launch is not successful, not to mention whether the "Artemis" program can be postponed again, whether it can be continued, is a question, and the second moon landing that the United States has in mind is really hanging.
In addition to the launch vehicle, the lunar rover and spacesuit are not yet completed, and in a previous space mission, NASA tested the space capsule of the lunar landing vehicle. As a result, researchers found that the design of this space capsule was a bit flawed, and it was impossible to ensure the safety of astronauts. In addition, the capsule's power system** is also unstable, which means that there may be a risk of power outages. In addition, the spacesuit developed by the company Axiom Space has not been completed until now. Without a reliable spacesuit, astronauts can't cope with the lunar environment and may hang up as soon as they step out of the hatch. There is also a lunar probe "Peregrine Falcon" responsible for exploring the path of American astronauts, which was also launched successfully a few days ago. Originally, the "Peregrine Falcon" was going to land on the lunar surface and transmit lunar environmental data for NASA, which meant that the preliminary work had to be postponed.
I have to say that this round of the US moon landing program is really bumpy. As a result, some people wondered: More than 50 years ago, the United States carried out the "Apollo moon landing" program, which seemed to be as easy as chopping melons and vegetables, and in the blink of an eye, it sent astronauts to the moon. This feat is a bit incredible until now. Why is it that more than 50 years later, against the background of the great development of human space science and technology, the US lunar landing program has become more difficult than it was more than 50 years ago? According to the United States, the "Apollo moon landing" program is led by NASA and is equivalent to a national plan, while the "Artemis" program, although proposed by the White House, is mostly responsible for the implementation of private enterprises. Due to cost and other considerations, the research and development progress of many things cannot catch up, which delays the entire plan.
If the "Artemis" program continues to be postponed, China may be ahead of the United States in this manned moon landing. China's current manned lunar landing program is a bit like the "Apollo moon landing" program of the year, which is led by the state, and the whole country plays a game of chess, "concentrating forces to do big things", and the speed is definitely faster. Although NASA Director Nelson said that the United States' manned lunar landing program must first ensure the safety of astronauts, it does not matter if China has taken the lead. But he said that he was not in a hurry, but in his heart he was probably more anxious than anyone else. Project Sword