NASA Moon landing for humans now delayed! Know why

NASA has delayed the moon landing mission to 2025 from the earlier set date of 2024. The recent lawsuit involving the Blue Origins has a larger role to play in the delay.

NASA Moon landing Artemis missions to use the SpaceX prototype Starship, which  stands at the Boca Chica Beach site in Texas.  (AP)

NASA has delayed the moon landing to 2025! Originally scheduled to put man back on the moon in 2024, the delay in the program now prepares for 2025. Originally directed by the Trump administration, the Artemis program involves space vehicles designed by SpaceX and NASA itself. This time, NASA has plans to send the first woman on moon along with people of colour.

NASA says that the delay has been caused due to multiple factors, the primary one being the recent flurry of lawsuits regarding the lunar lander. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a couple of other NASA projects have contributed to the delay. 

NASA Moon landing delayed

The new lunar missions will oversee use of modern and complex space vehicles to put man on the Moon safely. The Artemis project involves the SLS vehicle, or Space Launch System rocket. NASA has been working on this powerful rocket for over a decade now and although it was originally planned to be launched in 2017, the SLS rocket will take to the skies in February 2022. This time, it will have Orion capsule, which itself can carry crew members into deep space and near the moon.

Then there's the lander developed by SpaceX, called Starship. These vehicles will be put to test in the upcoming Artemis test flight, called Artemis I. This mission will carry the Orion capsule to the moon with no crew onboard. Once this is deemed successful, the Artemis II mission will do the same journey, albeit with a manned crew onboard. However, Artemis II will take off in May 2024, which is still a while away.

The crewed missions will also seek modern space suits designed for the task, which NASA is yet to work on. On the other hand, SpaceX is building the Starship prototypes for orbital tests at its launch site in Texas.