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NASA is still officially planning to country humans on the moon as part of the Artemis program in 2024, but the latest developments at the bureau brand that timeline await increasingly unrealistic. After previously expecting to move forrard with the evolution of commercial lunar landers this month, NASA has quietly delayed awarding those contracts until April. Many observers expected this move based on the funding canonical by Congress and the ongoing effects of the pandemic, simply it's still a disappointment for anyone who held out hope for a 2024 landing.

Last year, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Dynetics won a total of $967 1000000 from NASA to begin piece of work on proposed lunar landing systems. The companies were ready to submit their designs to NASA for evaluation this month, but the budget passed in Dec only gave the agency $850 one thousand thousand for the Human Landing System program. It had originally requested $3.2 billion to continue up with the 2024 timeline.

Now, all 3 companies have been alerted the next phase of the award process will have identify on April 30th. With that delay, the already shaky 2024 landing seems fifty-fifty less likely. The Trump administration may have pushed the 2024 timeline only considering that would have fallen during a hypothetical second Trump term. The incoming Biden assistants has been focused on managing the pandemic and addressing climate change — it hasn't even appear a new NASA administrator afterwards the departure of Republican appointee Jim Bridenstine. That puts NASA in a tough spot.

NASA says the filibuster is intended to give it more time to evaluate the proposals and plan the transition from development to construction. The truth is, information technology'due south probably in a holding pattern until the new assistants can gyre out infinite policy and tell NASA whether it still has to try and make that beginning Artemis landing happen in 2024.

Moon-Feature

There's a lot that has to be in place earlier the Artemis program tin can succeed in returning humans to the lunar surface. At that place'south the Space Launch System (SLS) that carries the Orion crew module, and that rocket has however to accomplish orbit. The Orion spacecraft is much further along and has successfully flown in infinite. That'south all before you become to the at present-delayed lunar decent hardware. SpaceX wants to use the Starship rocket — no surprise every bit it wants to use that for everything. Blue Origin wants to develop a new "Bluish Moon" lander with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Meanwhile, Dynetics has a lander project with Sierra Nevada that scored the largest chunk of NASA funding terminal year.

The Biden team is expected to analyze space policy in the coming weeks. Many believe that will include a modify to the 2024 Artemis timeline — this delay is probably but the first result of that move.

Now read:

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