NASA is on a 50-year mission to return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. According to a new report From the US Government Accountability Office, the space agency’s target launch date of 2025 is unlikely to be met.
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A new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has thrown a wet blanket over NASA’s plans to return humans to the surface of the Moon by 2025.Many challengesWith the space agency’s schedule, especially with the development of the Human Landing System (HLS).
The report, released Nov. 30, outlines development issues with the HLS, a modified version of SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle, including transportation to the lunar surface and design issues with large oxygen tanks inside spacesuits where astronauts will explore the surface. the moon
The current plan for Artemis 3 is somewhat convoluted. The HLS will use up all of its propellants to enter orbit, meaning it needs refueling before beginning its journey to the Moon. The plan involves launching a starship fuel depot prior to HLS launch and then docking the HLS for the refueling process. In its report, the GAO noted that SpaceX had made little progress in figuring out how to transfer the propellant into orbit.
„SpaceX has made limited progress in maturing those technologies.GAO says
The GAO report said Artemis 3 is unlikely to launch in 2025 unless SpaceX makes significant progress on the HLS program, and a realistic launch window would be 2027.