NASA has abandoned sending astronauts to the Moon for the first time in 50 years as part of the Artemis III mission
NASA has canceled plans to send astronauts to the Moon for the first time in 50 years as part of the Artemis III mission, which was scheduled for 2028. The decision was made due to recent technical problems and criticism of the overly ambitious approach. This is reported by The Guardian with reference to the administrator of the US space agency Jared Isaacman.
The administrator of the space agency US agency Jared Isaacman reported that the Artemis III mission continues to prepare, but the launch of the flight has been postponed until at least April 1 for testing and improving technology.
“Everyone agrees that this is the only way forward. I know that this is how NASA changed the world, and this is how NASA is going to do it again,” – said Isaacman.
The new plan involves a gradual approach: flights will take place in low Earth orbit by mid-2027 to test key systems, and the goal of the mission will no longer be to land people on the Moon.
Additional tests will allow you to gain more experience flying with complex systems and test the spacecraft before the future landing on the Moon. If the plans go ahead, the Artemis IV mission, which will land astronauts on the moon, is scheduled for 2028.
The abandonment of the ambitious goal came amid numerous technical problems and criticism from an independent spaceflight safety body, which called the Artemis III plans too risky. The advisory group recommended that NASA review the goals of the mission, which was to be the first human landing on the moon since the last Apollo flight in December 1972.
