[Reading Science] Why NASA Will Launch Artemis 2 Only After 2 Years

Budget and Technology Development Delays Make Humanity's Moon Return Project 'Anxious Anxious'

On the afternoon of the 11th, NASA's Artemis 1 'Orion spacecraft' embarked off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. Photo by NASA

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Artemis program, which the United States is conducting to return humanity to the moon for the first time in over 50 years, is facing uncertainties. Despite the success of the first technical test, Artemis 1 launch, the future schedule remains unclear due to budget shortages and delays in technology development.

The Artemis 1 launch, the first unmanned technical test, successfully concluded on the 11th at 12:40 PM (Eastern Time) with the safe return of the Orion spacecraft. NASA has praised the Artemis 1 mission for achieving many technological milestones. First, it completed the Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, surpassing the Saturn V rocket that successfully carried out humanity’s first manned moon exploration during the Apollo project in the 1970s. Additionally, the performance of the Orion spacecraft, which will carry astronauts and exploration equipment, was verified. Although final results are pending, it is known that the heat shield designed to withstand frictional heat exceeding 2800 degrees Celsius during landing operated normally. In the era of the Moon Rush, comparable to the Golden Rush of the American Westward Expansion, the horse and carriage for safely transporting people and cargo to and from the moon have passed their first performance check.

However, the second manned technical test, Artemis 2 launch, is expected to be possible only by the end of 2024. In an era when building a new rocket takes less than a year, especially in the United States, the world’s leading space technology nation, why is the Artemis 2 launch delayed like this? It is because the plan to reuse parts due to insufficient budget has become a stumbling block. NASA declared in 2017 that some parts of the Orion spacecraft used in the Artemis 1 launch, such as navigation electronics and electrical systems, would be reused for the Artemis 2 launch. This was to appease the growing negative public opinion about NASA’s space development programs, which were delayed due to the development of the SLS and the James Webb Space Telescope.

Accordingly, NASA must remove the reusable equipment from the Orion spacecraft recovered on the 11th, inspect whether it can be reused, conduct preliminary tests, attach it to the newly manufactured vehicle, and then perform further inspections and tests. This is a complex process that takes much more time than building new parts. The NASA Office of Inspector General stated in a report last month, “We are considering reusing non-critical navigation equipment from the Orion spacecraft used in Artemis 1 for Artemis 2, and the overall preparation work between the two missions will take 27 months.”

Meanwhile, the Artemis 3 launch, scheduled for after 2025, is a separate project and is not directly related to the Artemis 2 launch schedule. However, there are many other variables. First, SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander must be completed. SpaceX is responsible for launching the Starship lunar lander using the Super Heavy booster, waiting in lunar orbit, docking with the Orion spacecraft, landing on the lunar surface, and then transporting cargo back to Earth. However, SpaceX only succeeded in a test flight of Starship in May last year and did not conduct the planned orbital flight this year. Also, the spacesuits for use on the lunar surface and in space have not yet been completed.

These are the reasons why concerns are emerging about whether humanity’s second moon landing can actually be carried out in 2025.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.