A new report suggests that NASA is encountering delays in its lunar missions lineup following a technical glitch during Peregrine Mission One, the United States’ initial commercial launch to the Moon. This setback is expected to pose challenges for NASA’s lunar objectives for the current year, revealing technical complications that the agency is grappling with, according to individuals familiar with NASA’s plans as reported by Reuters.
NASA is slated to provide further details regarding the delays and its future lunar mission plans on Tuesday. The Artemis program, in collaboration with private partners, has been crucial to NASA’s efforts to return humans to the Moon. The agency has been actively assessing the progress made by its private partners and considering potential modifications to the multi-billion-dollar mission.
Artemis aims to mark the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo program’s conclusion in 1972. However, issues with private partners are now impeding NASA’s lunar plans, particularly the Artemis-II mission, originally scheduled for a late 2024 launch. The Orion spacecraft, a key component of the Artemis program developed by Lockheed Martin, has encountered complications with its crew capsule’s batteries.
The batteries in the Orion crew capsule are now in need of replacement after failing vibration tests, according to the report. The Artemis-II mission was anticipated to be the first crewed flight with humans aboard, following the uncrewed launch of the capsule atop NASA’s Space Launch System in a test in 2022. The setbacks underscore the complexities and challenges involved in executing lunar missions and the critical role of private partners in NASA’s ambitious lunar exploration program.
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