Jim Free, the associate administrator of the space agency in charge of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, told the media at a press conference that certain critical components must be prepared, especially the landing system under development by SpaceX. In case this component is not ready according to the schedule, he indicated that they could consider carrying out an alternative mission.
NASA, as part of the Artemis program, is mapping out a series of progressively more complex missions with the goal of returning to the Moon and establishing a continued presence to test essential technologies for future trips to Mars. The first phase, Artemis 1, made an unmanned flight around the Moon in 2022. Meanwhile, Artemis 2, scheduled for November 2024, will repeat the feat with a crew on board.
The most important milestone is the Artemis 3 mission, scheduled for December 2025, in which NASA plans to return humans to the Moon, marking the first landing since 1972. This time, the location will be the lunar south pole, where it is expected to collect ice to transform it into rocket fuel.
NASA has awarded SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, the contract to develop a landing system based on a variant of its Starship prototype rocket, which is still under development. However, a Starship test flight ended in an explosion last April.
Free shared that NASA officials recently visited the SpaceX facility in Texas to gain a better understanding of its progress. Although the visit shed light on the situation, he expressed concern that they have yet to achieve a successful launch, a critical step before completing the rocket.
Delays in Starship development have ramifications, as the spacesuit contractor needs to know how to interact with the spacecraft, and simulators are required to familiarize astronauts with their systems. Free announced that NASA will share more information in the near future after evaluating the data obtained during the visit.