NASA Pushes First Moon Landing Since Apollo Era to 2027

Findings from the Artemis I test mission have forced the space agency to recalculate its plans for future flights.

Thursday, December 05, 2024 at 05:09 PM ET

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Artemis II crewmembers Jeremy Hansen (from left), Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch will have to wait a few additional months before they fly around the moon and back. [Courtesy: James Blair/NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA has again delayed its Artemis missions, with the crewed Artemis II lunar flyby now scheduled for April 2026 and the Artemis III lunar landing pushed to no earlier than mid-2027.
The delays are primarily due to an issue discovered during the Artemis I mission concerning the Orion capsule's heat shield, where trapped gases caused cracking and charring during reentry, as well as necessary upgrades to life support systems and challenges in developing next-generation spacesuits.
To address the heat shield problem, NASA plans to modify the reentry profile for Artemis II and incorporate a new heat shield for Artemis III, prioritizing astronaut safety.
NASA aims to return Americans to the moon ahead of China's announced intentions, emphasizing the strategic importance of the lunar south pole and urging commercial partners to accelerate their contributions.

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For the second time this year, NASA has pushed back its timeline to land the first Americans on the moon since the Apollo era.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Thursday revealed that due to an issue with the heat shield on NASA’s Orion capsule, discovered during the 2022 Artemis I test mission, the Artemis III lunar landing—originally scheduled for 2025 and in January pushed to September 2026—will now happen no sooner than mid-2027.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.