NASA says it will not launch its manned Artemis mission to the moon until 2027.

A report states that the launch of NASA's Artemis mission to the moon, which is intended to be manned, will not occur prior to 2027.

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A report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that NASA's Artemis III mission, which is planned to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, may not launch in 2025 as initially expected, but instead in 2027. This mission was designed to preserve US leadership in space exploration and provide preparation for future journeys to Mars by 2025.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed a few deficiencies in the design of the human landing system and spacesuit which are expected to remain unresolved until 2027.

Since the previous report on the Artemis missions, the NASA and its contractors have advanced, however, there are still difficulties that they are dealing with when it comes to producing the lunar lander and space suits, according to the report.

Testing flights have experienced delays, potentially impacting subsequent test schedules. Besides, there is still plenty of intricate work to be done. Consequently, it is improbable for the mission to the Moon to take place in 2025 like originally anticipated, the statement continued.

The postponement is expected to cause a setback in the Artemis missions that were planned, with Artemis 4, meant for 2028, and then from 2029, Artemis 5, 6 and 7 to take place each year.

In order to comprehend the preparation of NASA, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluated the agency's data, paperwork, and regulations; studied agreement documentation, contractor vulnerability charts, and technology advancement plans; and talked to NASA personnel and industry associates.

According to GAO, the Human Landing System programme is aiming to complete in 79 months, which is 13 months quicker than the average timeline for NASA major projects. This poses a challenge.

The report declared that due to the intricacy of human spaceflight, it is not likely that the program will conclude development sooner than a year faster than NASA's most of their major projects, which are not related to human spaceflight.

According to the GAO, if the development process took the same amount of time as other NASA major projects, the Artemis III mission would be expected to take place in the beginning of 2027.

In addition, the report pointed out that 13 essential activities have been held off for at least half a year, two of which have been postponed to 2025, which is the scheduled year for the lander's take-off.

In part, the delays were a result of SpaceX's Orbital Flight Test, designed to show the capabilities of the launch vehicle and lander set up during the mission.

For the Artemis 3 mission, SpaceX's Starship upper stage will be utilized as a human landing system, taking two astronauts to the Moon.

There is still a considerable amount of labor to be done, including creating the capability for SpaceX to save and convey fuel while in orbit to back the Artemis III mission of lunar landing.

Axiom, the company accountable for crafting the Artemis 3 moonsuits, has come up with challenges in the making of spacesuits. The model made by NASA was too inadequate in terms of providing the required emergency life support requirement for the Artemis III mission.

Axiom representatives indicated that it is likely that some components of the space suit will have to be altered, which could cause a postponement in its shipment for the mission.

NASA seeks to make history by sending the first woman and person of color to the Moon with the Artemis III mission. This will set up a long-term, sustainable human presence on the Moon and serve as a stepping stone for future Mars astronaut missions.

-- According to IANS

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