NASA revamps Artemis moon landing program by modeling it after speedy Apollo

"The hydrogen fuel leaks and helium flow problems that struck the Space Launch System rocket on the pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center earlier this month had also plagued the first Artemis test flight without a crew in 2022. Another three-year gap was looming between Artemis II and the moon landing by astronauts as originally envisioned, Isaacman said."

"The follow-up mission, Artemis III, had been targeting a landing near the moon's south pole by another pair of astronauts in about three years. But with long gaps between flights and concern growing over the readiness of a lunar lander and moonwalking suits, NASA's new administrator Jared Isaacman announced that mission would instead focus on launching a lunar lander into orbit around Earth in 2027 for docking practice."

"Isaacman stressed that 'it should be incredibly obvious' that three years between flights is unacceptable. He'd like to get it down to one year or even less."

NASA is restructuring its Artemis moon exploration program to include additional practice missions before attempting a crewed lunar landing. The overhaul follows technical problems with the Space Launch System rocket and recommendations from a safety panel to scale back overly ambitious goals. Artemis II, a lunar fly-around mission, is delayed until at least April due to hydrogen fuel leaks and helium flow problems. The revised plan calls for Artemis III to focus on launching a lunar lander into Earth orbit in 2027 for docking practice, with actual moon landings targeted for 2028. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized reducing gaps between flights from three years to one year or less, modeling the approach after the fast-paced Apollo program.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles