NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon have been delayed — again.
The agency announced Tuesday that its next Artemis mission, which was to send three astronauts on a flight around the moon in a next-generation capsule, will launch in September 2025 rather than later this year.
A subsequent mission to actually land astronauts on the lunar surface near the moon’s south pole will be delayed to September 2026.
“We are returning to the moon in a way we never have before, and the safety of our astronauts is NASA’s top priority as we prepare for future Artemis missions,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
The latest setback follows years of holdups and budget overruns with NASA’s Artemis program. The agency has spent more than $42 billion over more than a decade on developing a new megarocket and spacecraft to take astronauts back to the moon.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
