Nasa has postponed its plans to send humans to the moon after delays hit its hugely ambitious Artemis programme, which aims to get spaceboots bouncing again on the lunar surface for the first time in half a century. Artemis II, a 10-day expedition to send a crew around the moon and back to test life support systems, will also be pushed back to September 2025. The new Nasa schedule “acknowledges the very real development challenges that have been experienced by our industry partners”, said Amit Kshatriya, the head of Nasa’s moon and Mars exploration strategy. The Artemis programme seeks to land the first woman and first person of colour on the lunar surface. “Space X’s Starship, which is going to ultimately bring the crew … down to the surface of the moon.

Source: The Guardian January 11, 2024 22:10 UTC