Planned for 2024, and will fly at best in 2026
NASA chief auditor Paul Martin said that due to technical reasons and the postponement of the first three missions of the Artemis lunar program, or Artemis, the planned 2024 landing of a man on the moon will be delayed by several years.
According to a report prepared for Congress, the agency will need at least $93 billion. At the same time, the launch of each of the first four missions will cost $4 billion. According to Martin, a manned flight to the moon will not occur until 2026.
NASA’s lunar mission is to be carried out on SLS rockets and the Orion multifunctional manned spacecraft.
The Artemis program, which was initiated during the Donald Trump administration, is announced by NASA as the return of a man to the moon and is a preparation for flights to other planets, in particular to Mars.
“Due to the technical difficulties and delays of the first three missions of the Artemis program and the time required to create the lander and spacesuits, NASA will shift its current plan to land a man on the moon in 2024 by at least a few years,” Paul Martin said in a report.
