NASA's Artemis II moon mission is 'go' for Apr. launch date
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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced significant changes to the agency's Artemis program, which aims to land on the moon in 2028.
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Is Artemis 2 too risky for astronauts? NASA won’t give a clear answer
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, set to launch in April 2026, is a monumental step forward in human space exploration, yet it comes with inherent risks. As the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, it will send astronauts on a daring journey around the moon,
NASA has set a new April 1 launch target for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years.
At the core of Isaacman’s concerns is the low flight rate of the SLS rocket and Artemis missions. During past exploration missions, from Mercury through Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle program, NASA has launched humans on average about once every three months. It has been nearly 3.5 years since Artemis I launched.
The overhaul in the flight lineup came just two days after NASA’s new moon rocket returned to its hangar for more repairs, and a safety panel warned the space agency to scale back its overly ambitious goals for humanity’s first lunar landing since 1972.