U.S. Return to Moon’s Surface Delayed to 2025

Tuesday, November 09, 2021 at 10:30 PM ET

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Illustration of SpaceX Starship human lander design aimed at carrying NASA astronauts to the surface of the Moon under Artemis. SpaceX

Key Takeaways:

NASA has officially delayed its Artemis III mission, which aims to land humans on the moon, from its original 2024 target to no earlier than 2025.
Key factors contributing to the delay include issues with developing the Artemis Orion astronaut capsule and a lengthy legal battle between SpaceX and Blue Origin over the lunar lander contract.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also cited insufficient congressional funding for the human landing system and deemed the previous 2024 target technically unfeasible.
The Artemis program still aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon, with NASA expressing a desire to be aggressive in light of China's growing space capabilities.

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Americans will not be returning to the surface of the moon until at least 2025, NASA said Tuesday, confirming for the first time the agency will not make its original 2024 deadline.

During a teleconference with reporters updating its Artemis Program, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson blamed delays in developing the Artemis Orion astronaut capsule as well as a long legal battle between SpaceX and Blue Origin over the program’s lunar lander.