Kathmandu: NASA has announced a further delay to its ambitious Artemis program, pushing back the planned launch of its second mission to the Moon to April 2026. The mission, originally slated for September 2025, was meant to send astronauts on a flyaround of the Moon, but will now be delayed by over a year due to technical issues with the spacecraft’s heat shield. The delay also means that a manned Moon landing will not take place until at least 2027, a full year later than initially planned.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained that the delay is necessary to address the heat shield problem, which became apparent after the previous test flight. The capsule’s heat shield returned excessively charred, with significant erosion, cracks, and broken fragments. Nelson emphasized that ensuring the safety of astronauts is the agency’s top priority, saying, “We do not fly until we are ready.”
Engineers have identified the root cause of the problem and believe a change in the capsule’s re-entry trajectory will fix the issue. However, the agency stressed that a thorough assessment will take time. “We need to do the next test flight, and we need to do it right,” Nelson said.
This delay comes as NASA faces growing competition from China’s space agency, which has its own plans to send astronauts to the Moon. Despite the setback, Nelson expressed confidence that NASA’s Artemis program would be the first to land astronauts on the lunar surface, with Artemis 3 now planned for mid-2027—years ahead of China’s 2030 target.
The delay also raises questions about the viability of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the rocket designed to send astronauts to the Moon. The SLS has faced criticism for being both slow and costly to develop, with critics pointing to the faster progress of private companies like SpaceX. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is developing the Starship, a reusable and more cost-efficient rocket that is expected to outpace NASA’s efforts.
The leadership of NASA could also be shifting in the near future. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to succeed Bill Nelson as NASA administrator. Isaacman, a close collaborator of Musk and a sponsor of private space missions, could bring significant changes to NASA’s approach, particularly regarding the cost and efficiency of space exploration.
Dr. Simeon Barber, a space scientist at the Open University, cautioned that the combination of Isaacman’s entrepreneurial background and the influence of Musk could bring a “new pair of eyes” to NASA. “SLS is an old-school rocket. It is not reusable like Starship, hence very expensive, and it has taken a long time to get it operational. And slow and expensive is a precarious position to be in when the incoming president is looking to save costs,” he said.
The delays to the Artemis program highlight the challenges NASA faces as it races to return humans to the Moon while navigating the growing competition from the private sector and international space agencies.