&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "NASA goes the Apollo way, plans yearly moon landings, starting with 2 in 2028")
NASA has delayed the return of humans to the moon by a year, adding another level to the Artemis programme before it finally makes the historic achievement. In addition, when we do go back to the moon, it won't be a one-time thing, only as yearly missions will be planned. The American space agency has changed Artemis 3 into a mission in which astronauts will carry out several technology tests in Low Earth orbit. It would be a preparation for the human landing that has been pushed to 2028 with the Artemis 4 mission.
What will Artemis 3 do?
The new mission will check out a host of things, one of which would be rendezvous and docking with one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin. The docked vehicles will be tested in space, integrated checkout of life support will be carried out, besides testing communications, propulsion systems, and the new Extravehicular Activity (xEVA) suits. The 2027 mission also aims to standardise the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket "upper stage", the portion of the rocket that takes the spacecraft from Low Earth orbit towards the Moon.
Also Read: An American flag that has waited 56 years to go to space finally gets its chance with Artemis 2
When will Artemis 2 launch?
It will be a crewed mission, and astronauts will be launched aboard the Orion crew capsule to Low Earth orbit. Artemis 2 has been delayed by fuel leak issues, and the timeline has been moved from February 19 to the first week of April. This mission will see NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen go to the moon on a 10-day trip during which time they will hover over it, but not enter orbit. After this, Artemis 3 was meant to land them on the moon. This meant crucial testing of various tech and systems was missing.
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Why did NASA change Artemis programme?
Experts say that adding a testing phase will allow NASA to carry out crucial tests before humans actually land on the moon. Testing the spacesuits designed by Axiom Space and checking if all communications and propulsion systems are working fine is important before we step on the moon again. This phase will lead to reduced safety risks and increase the chances of a successful moon landing. Once that happens, a second landing will happen in the same year, in 2028. Thereafter, one landing mission will be launched every year. Notably, the Apollo mission had 11 crewed landings in four years.
