NASA aims at Pioneers of the return to the moon by mid -2017– A achievement that would fulfill a contract of preparation. The agency may have to extend this timetable further, as the slow progress in the lunar spice calms down to delay the Artemis 3 mission.
During a meeting on Friday, members of the Aviation Safety Advisory warned that Human landing system (HLS) The Starship version can be “late”, Spaceneyws Reports. The committee reached this conclusion after a visit to the Starbase from the Spacex in Texas.
“The HLS table has been greatly challenged, and in our estimation, years may be delayed in 2027 ARTEMIS 3 Moon Landing,” said Paul Hill, the former director of the mission operations in NASA.
Delay Artemis – What?
Placing American shoes on the surface of the moon is a top priority for NASA. With a new space race running, global powers, including the United States, China and Russia, compete for the first engine feature.
Everyone who reaches the surface of the moon first will be able to set certain basic rules around who can do some and where. This will not only enhance the impact of this country on the moon and in space, but also gives it a strategic lever because military operations are increasingly dependent on space origins.
“This is a pivotal moment for the space program in our nation,” He said Chairman of the Senate Trade Committee, Senator Cruise (R-TEXAS) during A. NASA’s legislative priorities Earlier this month. He continued to emphasize that the space has become “strategic limits with direct consequences for national security, economic growth and technological leadership.”
How did we get here?
In 2021, NASA contract Elon Musk’s Spacex to build a copy of Starship capable of falling astronauts on the moon. At that time, the agency aims to achieve a decline by 2024, but this targeted date has been restored in recent years.
HLS development has slowed greatly with Spacex struggle Repeated explosive failure this year. while The latest test trip in Starsp On August 26 it was success, the unparalleled technical monuments accumulated.
One of the main issues is to show the transfer of the necessary refrigerator to Fueling in low -ground orbit Before the missile went to the moon, Hill said during the Friday meeting. The development delays of Starship 3- The first repetition capable of transferring fuel in orbit-has slowed the progress towards this goal.
Hill also referred to the competing priorities for Spacex between Starlink and StarsHip HLS, Spacepolicyonline.com Reports. Starship 3 will be an integral part of the launch of the third generation of Starlink with the creation of fuel warehouses at the same time and Lunar Lander for Artemis 3.
“The next six months of the spacecraft crew will be told about the possibility of the Flying HLS crew in 2027 or by the end of the contract,” Hill said.
Despite these concerns, the committee members emphasized that Spacex is still the only launch provider of this job. Hill said: “There is no competitor, whether the government or industry, has this full mixture of factors that result from this manufacturing and the frequency of the journey, with its direct effects on increasing reliability and reducing costs.”
However, the negative aspect of relying on Spacex is clear: without the ready -to -launch HLS by 2027, Artemis 3 will not descend from the ground on time.
Once again in 2023, NASA chose the origin of the blue Ceff Bizus to provide a second lunar landBlue Ghost, to use it during the ARTEMIS 5 mission later in this contract. The contract value is $ 3.4 billion and includes a development team consisting of Lockheed, Martin, Boeing, Daper, Astrobooth and Honeybee.
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