NASA reveals sending the first woman and next man to the moon by 2024 is ‘unlikely’ due to lack of funding, scheduling issues and the impact of the coronavirus had on operations
- NASA’s Artemis mission was set to kick off in 2024, but a report says otherwise
- The report cites a number of concerns like funding, scheduling and scope
- NASA says it still needs to complete and test key vehicles like the lunar lander
- Its operations have also been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic
- In mid-April, NASA had to close 12 of its 18 major facilities due to the virus
- The agency had requested $1.4 billion in funding and has received $600 million
NASA first announced plans to send the first woman and next man to the moon by 2024 last year, but a new report says hitting the targeted date is ‘unlikely.’
The report, titled ‘2020 Report on NASA’s Top Management and Performance Challenges,’ highlights a number of challenges including funding, scheduling and scope of the Artemis mission.
Some of the major concerns surround key technologies of the mission, such as the production and certification of the Space Launch System rocket and the completion of the Orion crew capsule.
Among technology restraints, NASA’s plans have been impacted by the coronavirus – by mid-April, 12 of the agency’s 18 major facilities were closed and could not hit necessary timelines.
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NASA first announced plans to send the first woman and next man to the moon by 2024 last year, but a new report says hitting the targeted date is ‘unlikely’
‘We believe the Agency will be hard-pressed to land astronauts on the Moon by the end of 2024,’ the report reads.
‘At the very least, achieving any date close to this ambitious goal—and reaching Mars in the 2030s—will require strong, consistent, sustained leadership from the President, Congress, and NASA, as well as stable and timely funding.
‘For its part, NASA must determine the true long-term costs of its human exploration programs, set realistic schedules, define system requirements and mission planning, form or firm up international partnerships, and leverage commercial space capabilities.’
NASA was initially eyeing 2028 for its Artemis mission, however President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had encouraged the agency to accelerate their efforts and target the mission four years earlier.
Some of the major concerns surround key technologies of the mission, such as the production and certification of the Space Launch System rocket and the completion of the Orion crew capsule
Trump did criticize NASA months after for aiming to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024, saying the agency should focus instead on ‘much bigger’ initiatives like going to Mars -undercutting his previous support for the lunar initiative.
‘For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon – We did that 50 years ago,’ the president wrote on Twitter. ‘They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science
President-elect Joe Biden’s Democratic party notes that it supports ‘NASA’s work to return Americans to the moon and go beyond to Mars, taking the next step in exploring our solar system,’ but has not addressed the 2024 target.
NASA was initially eyeing 2028 for its Artemis mission, however President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had encouraged the agency to accelerate their efforts and target the mission four years earlie
Funding is a huge part of the Artemis mission, as NASA requested $1.4 billion from the US government to create the lunar lander that would take the astronauts to the moon’s surface.
However, the request has not been fully granted – they have been given only $600 million.
Alongside the astronaut landings, NASA had plans to build a ‘Lunar Gateway’ outpost that would should have been orbiting the moon as of now.
‘We anticipate further schedule delays and cost increases, making the Gateway unlikely to be available for the planned 2024 lunar landing,’ NASA shared in the report.