NASA delays Artemis missions again.

NASA's first two crewed Artemis moon missions have been pushed back to 2026 and 2027, respectively, and the move could have big ramifications for the agency's Artemis program and competition with China for leadership in space.

Artemis 2, which will send a crew of three Americans and a Canadian astronaut around the moon, was due to launch in September 2025. The mission has now been moved back to April 2026, NASA announced on Dec. 5. Artemis 3 — which is set to put humans on the surface of our nearest celestial neighbor for the first time in more than half a century — has also slipped, from late 2026 to mid-2027.

The latest delays stem, in part, from an issue with the Orion crew spacecraft and its heat shield which was detected after a "skip reentry" during the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission in late 2022.

Artemis 2 will still use Orion, but with a different reentry trajectory to better manage the resulting heat. "The safety of our astronauts is always first in our decisions," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

Source: www.space.com

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