NASA has announced an additional mission for Artemis astronauts before embarking on a risky lunar landing with a crew. This update to the flight schedule follows the return of NASA’s new moon rocket to the hangar for further repairs and a safety panel’s caution to reevaluate the space agency’s ambitious goals for the upcoming lunar landing.

Artemis II, a lunar fly-around involving four astronauts, has been postponed until at least April due to rocket issues. Consequently, Artemis III, which initially aimed for a landing near the moon’s south pole by another pair of astronauts in the following years, will be redirected. Instead of proceeding with the planned lunar landing, NASA’s administrator, Jared Isaacman, announced a revised focus on launching a lunar lander into Earth’s orbit for practice in 2027.

The revised plan now targets a moon landing, possibly even two, by astronauts in 2028. Isaacman emphasized the need to reduce the time between flights, aiming for a turnaround of one year or less. Drawing parallels to NASA’s historic Apollo program, he highlighted the multiple missions undertaken before the successful moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Following recommendations from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel to adjust the objectives for Artemis III in light of the challenging mission goals, NASA faces urgency in reevaluating its plans for a safe return of astronauts to the moon. The upcoming mission, as previously outlined by NASA, involves tasks such as system checks upon landing on the moon, scientific work inside the spacecraft, moonwalks for exploration, and the utilization of advanced spacesuits provided by Axiom Space to enhance astronauts’ mobility and flexibility for lunar surface activities.

By leveraging cookies and other identifiers, Reach and its partners strive to enhance user experience, analyze site usage, and deliver personalized advertising. Users have the option to opt out of data sharing or selling by accessing the designated button on the webpage. Acceptance of these practices, as detailed in the Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions, is implicit in the use of Reach’s website and services.