NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it will postpone the implementation of the mission to land astronauts on the moon from 2025 to 2026 in the international lunar exploration program "Artemis program" led by the United States.
In the Artemis program, an international lunar exploration program led by the United States and in which Japan participates, the United States is aiming for the first manned lunar exploration in about half a century since the Apollo program.
NASA announced on the 9th that it will postpone the implementation of the mission in which astronauts land on the moon from 2025, which was the target, to September 2026.
Prior to this, the test flight of the spacecraft carrying astronauts orbiting the moon will also be delayed by about 9 months, with the target of September 10.
As for the reasons for the postponement, NASA cites delays in the completion of a large spacecraft scheduled to be used for landing on the moon and time required for development related to astronaut safety.
NASA Administrator Nelson said, "Our top priority is safety, and we have decided to allocate more time to work on the challenges that the project team faces in their first development."
The Artemis program is scheduled to continue lunar exploration by astronauts after 2025, and final arrangements are underway for at least two Japan astronauts to participate in a series of activities on the lunar surface.