Sci/Tech Citing “crew safety,” NASA delays upcoming Artemis missions by about a year

[The Helper]

Citing "crew safety" as the agency's chief priority, NASA officials outlined a new schedule for the Artemis lunar program on Tuesday. The roughly one-year delay for each of the next three missions came as little surprise, given the significant amount of work left to be done before astronauts can return to the Moon later this decade.

"Safety is our top priority," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a teleconference with reporters.

The new dates, according to NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, are:

• September 2025: Artemis II crew flight around the Moon and back in a free-return trajectory
• September 2026: Artemis III crewed lunar landing, with two astronauts going down to the surface in SpaceX's Starship lander
• September 2028: Artemis IV crewed mission, first flight using upgraded version of Space Launch System rocket, lunar landing in Starship.

"We must be realistic," Free said. "We're looking at our Starship progress, and need for propellant transfer, the need for numerous landings. We're looking at our spacesuits that we're acquiring in a different manner than we've done before, and developing the new spacesuits as well. It's an incredibly large challenge and a really big deal."

Citing “crew safety,” NASA delays upcoming Artemis missions by about a year

"We must be realistic."

arstechnica.com