"NASA's next opportunity for the launch would be at the beginning or end of April. The US space agency hopes to put humans back on the moon as China forges ahead with a rival effort that is targeting 2030 at the latest for its first crewed mission. China's uncrewed Chang'e 7 mission is expected to be launched in 2026 for an exploration of the moon's south pole, and testing of its crewed spacecraft Mengzhou is also set to go ahead this year."
"NASA surprised many late last year when it said Artemis 2 could happen as soon as February an acceleration explained by the administration of US President Donald Trump's wish to beat China to the punch. But the programme has been plagued by delays. The uncrewed Artemis 1 mission took place in November 2022 after multiple postponements and two failed launch attempts. Then, technical problems in early February which included a liquid hydrogen leak cut short a so-called wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis 2 launch."
Artemis 2, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years, will not launch in March after workers detected a helium-flow problem in the Space Launch System rocket. Solid helium flow is required to purge engines and pressurize fuel tanks. NASA identified the issue during prelaunch operations and said the next launch opportunities are at the beginning or end of April. The Artemis programme has experienced multiple delays, including earlier liquid hydrogen leaks and postponed tests; a wet dress rehearsal was finally completed. China is advancing its lunar plans with Chang'e 7 and crewed spacecraft testing aimed toward a crewed mission by 2030.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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