The reverse count of America's next trip to the month is likely to be delayed again.
GAO auditors predict the start -up date in early 2027 if the development will be followed by NASA. Currently, NASA has a "ambitious schedule ... 13 months shorter than the average," Gao wrote. "The difficulty of human flight into space indicates that it is unrealistic to expect that the program will complete the development of more than a year faster than the average for large NASA projects, most of which are not human flight projects into space." While NASA hoped to move faster than usual, GAO stated that the program "reaches key events slower."
In fact, launch in 2027 will be closer to NASA's original purpose in 2028. It was until March 2019, when for President Donald Trump, "The White House ordered NASA to accelerate its plans for landing for a month" by 2024, according to the audit, "partly in order to create a sense of urgency in the return of American astronauts a month."
In November 2021, NASA postponed at least 2025. The Space Agency declares that Artemis III will become the first mission to the South Pole of the Moon and "plant the first woman and the first color man on the surface of the moon" while noting that their choice will be based on the correct crew for the mission. So far, all 12 month moves were white Americans.
NASA did not formally announce the transfer, but recognized this probability in The Washington Post. The agency has stated that it was working with its partners on developing a path to Artemis III. … All contractors and partners for different artemis items must complete the task in time to success the mission and intelligence agency's goals. ”
This is a very intricate project. Various complications can interfere with timely air travel from one city to another, but it is nothing compared to the movement of the crew of people at a distance of 238 855 miles into an inhuman environment.
"The Mission of Artemis III is the third in the series of more complex missions aimed at supporting the US leadership in the development of space, creating a sustainable presence on the moon over the next decade," said GAO, "and finally traveling to Mars."
● Delays with "key events". Among them - the destruction of the SpaceX apparatus, central for a monthly mission, which "began to break up after about 4 minutes after the device deviated from the expected trajectory, lost its height and began to fall" during the orbital flight test in April. Eight of 13 key events in the development of the landing system were postponed for 13-<> months.
● Design challenges. Axiom, a superstitious contractor, also faces significant problems. "For example, the original NASA design did not provide the minimum amount of emergency life support required for Artemis III mission," Gao said. "As a result, AXIOM representatives have stated that they can change some aspects of a space suit that can delay its delivery for a mission."
Russell Ralstone, Vice President Axiom, has been e-mail that the company is "actively engaged in innovative work" on the technologies of spacesmen, "necessary to maintain 60 minutes of emergency life support". As noted in the report, it is a promising job that can take extra time. "
He also added, "delays are part of the general scheme in the program."
According to the current schedule, the NASA Moon on Mars includes seven Missions Artemis by 2031. The schedule of each mission depends on previous missions. Artemis I and Artemis II lagged behind the graph. Artemis III inherited their late. In September 2022, GAO found that "NASA seized the terms of the Artemis mission several times and the key stages of the program. … Delays in the launch of Artemis I have a cascade effect on the graphics of Artemis II and III missions, since there is a minimum time between these missions. NASA also postponed Artemis II mission to May 2024, 13 months later, the initial launch date in April 2023.
But as soon as all kinks are worked out, "this mission will open up the future in which people will constantly access the moon", they predict NASA, "and the missions to study the planets will be within reach."
