NASA announced Friday that it will add new missions to its lunar Artemis program, including a docking test for a spacecraft in Earth orbit before the first astronauts to land on the moon in more than half a century, as part of the Washington Plan for the Moon reforms.
The new Artemis mission, scheduled for 2027, is part of a number of changes to the lunar program announced by NASA, including further testing before an attempt to put humans on the moon, currently scheduled for Artemis 4 in 2028.
NASA also halted attempts to upgrade its Space Launch System rockets and instead focused on increasing rocket production and slowing flight speeds compared to new rockets.
As part of the program, SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, and Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, are developing vehicles to carry astronauts to the moon.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman are building a space launch system that will carry the Lockheed Martin-built Orion astronaut capsule, which will transport astronauts to one of the space’s lunar landers before landing on the moon.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced Friday that its Artemis lunar mission will include new missions, including a docking test for a spacecraft in Earth’s orbit before the first astronauts land on the moon in more than half a century, as part of Washington’s overhaul of the lunar program.
The new Artemis mission, scheduled for 2027, is part of a number of changes to the lunar program announced by NASA, including conducting further tests before attempting to send a crew to the moon, currently scheduled for 2028 under the name Artemis 4.
NASA also halted efforts to upgrade the rocket, known as the Space Launch System, and instead focused on increasing rocket production and slowing flight speeds compared to new rockets.
SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, and Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, are working on developing a manned lunar lander as part of the program.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman are building a space launch system that will carry the Lockheed Martin-built Orion crew capsule. This system will transport astronauts to one of the lunar landers in space before landing on the moon.
