Now the flight to the Moon will take place no earlier than September 2026
Humanity won't return to the Moon until 2026 because NASA has pushed back subsequent launches of the Artemis program.
According to the new schedule, the manned Artemis II mission, which only involves a flyby of the Moon, will take place in September 2025, and the Artemis III mission, which will land astronauts on the Moon — in September 2026. Of course, as before, these plans can be revised. Let's remember that until today NASA planned to launch Artemis II at the end of this year, and the return to the Moon was planned for 2025.
NASA attributes the program changes to a host of technical issues that raise concerns about the safety of the manned mission. This includes the life support system of the Orion spacecraft, its heat shield, electronics, and much more.
NASA also announced that the Artemis IV mission, which will be the first mission to the future Gateway lunar station, will take place in 2028.