NASA Delays Artemis Moon Missions Amid Heatshield Concerns
TL;DR
NASA has concluded that the cracks found in the Orion module's heatshield from the Artemis Mission were due to trapped gases caused by the skip guidance re-entry technique. By altering the re-entry method, the spacecraft will be safe for crewed flights without redesigning the heatshield. Consequently, the Artemis II and III missions have been delayed to April 2026 and mid-2027, respectively, to address other system improvements. The heatshield's thermal performance exceeded expectations, ensuring crew safety during re-entry.
Topics:top-newsscience-and-technology#artemis-mission#heatshield#nasa#orion-module#science-and-technology#space-exploration
- NASA finds Orion heatshield cracks won't cook Artemis II crew The Register
- NASA delays first crewed flight to the moon in over 50 years CNN
- NASA Artemis Moon Missions Delayed Until 2026 and 2027 The New York Times
- NASA pushes back astronaut flights to the moon again Yahoo! Voices
- NASA Identifies Cause of Artemis I Orion Heat Shield Char Loss NASA
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