NASA Overhauls Artemis Program: Delays Lunar Landing, Cancels SLS Upgrades

United States - Ekhbary News Agency

NASA Overhauls Artemis Program: Delays Lunar Landing, Cancels SLS Upgrades

In a major strategic pivot for its ambitious lunar return program, NASA has unveiled a series of fundamental changes that will reshape the future of its Artemis missions. These revisions include the addition of an orbital test flight for lunar landers, a postponement of the first crewed lunar landing, and most significantly, the cancellation of planned upgrades for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the backbone of its heavy-lift capabilities.

During a press briefing on February 27, NASA detailed its intention to incorporate a new mission in 2027, designated Artemis 3. This mission will feature the Orion spacecraft rendezvousing and docking with lunar landers developed by Blue Origin and/or SpaceX while in low Earth orbit. Additionally, the mission will serve as a testbed for new spacesuits being developed by Axiom Space.

This adjustment means that the mission originally designated for the first human lunar landing, Artemis 3, will be repurposed as an orbital test platform. Under the revised plan, the first crewed landing attempt will be deferred to Artemis 4 in 2028, with a potential follow-on mission, Artemis 5, in late 2028. This new sequence draws parallels to the historic Apollo 9 mission in 1969, which conducted the first in-space test of the Lunar Module, including rendezvous and docking maneuvers in Earth orbit.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that these changes are crucial for increasing the flight rate safely, a necessity given the escalating competition, particularly from China, which aims to launch its first crewed lunar lander around 2030. "NASA must standardize its approach, increase flight rate safely and execute on the President’s national space policy," Nelson said in a statement. "With credible competition from our greatest geopolitical adversary increasing by the day, we need to move faster, eliminate delays and achieve our objectives."

As part of this strategy to accelerate the pace of operations, NASA has decided to abandon plans to upgrade the SLS rocket beyond Artemis 3. The first three SLS launches will utilize the Block 1 configuration, featuring the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) as its upper stage. Future launches were slated to use the Block 1B variant, equipped with a larger Exploration Upper Stage. However, the agency will now forgo the development of the Block 1B, opting instead for a "near Block 1" configuration. NASA has not disclosed specifics regarding the upper stage to be used, noting that the ICPS is based on the upper stage of the Delta 4 rocket, which is no longer in production.

Maintaining the Block 1 configuration is intended to facilitate a faster launch cadence. Nelson has previously voiced frustration over the slow flight rate of the SLS, pointing out that the interval between Artemis 1 and Artemis 2 will exceed three years. He suggests this delay may contribute to technical issues, such as hydrogen leaks observed during preparations for Artemis 2. "Launching a rocket as important and as complex as SLS every three years is not a path to success," Nelson remarked during the briefing, drawing comparisons to technical challenges encountered during both Artemis 1 and 2. "When you’re launching every three years, your skills atrophy."

He further noted that a more frequent launch schedule would enable NASA to pursue smaller, incremental technical advancements between missions, rather than attempting a complex lunar landing on the initial Artemis 3 mission as originally planned. The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) had previously warned of the high risks associated with the original Artemis 3 plan, given the multitude of first-time activities it entailed. "A wide objective gap between missions is also not a pathway to success," Nelson added. "We didn’t go right to Apollo 11."

The announcement offered limited technical details regarding the revised plan for Artemis 3 and subsequent missions, or the specific modifications to the SLS. For instance, Nelson declined to name the manufacturer for the "near Block 1" SLS upper stage post-Artemis 3 or how the contracting process would unfold. He indicated that NASA has been discussing this strategy with industry partners for several weeks and expressed confidence in their ability to source and integrate a more standardized second stage. NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya confirmed that the agency would work with its partners to handle the effective cancellation of the Exploration Upper Stage appropriately, without elaborating further.

This move to accelerate SLS launches coincides with ongoing efforts by both Blue Origin and SpaceX to expedite the development of their respective Human Landing Systems for the Artemis program. However, neither company has released details on their revised development timelines, nor has NASA.

Nelson acknowledged that accelerating Artemis missions while foregoing SLS upgrades will involve trade-offs in the overall program cost. He suggested that standardizing vehicles could yield cost savings, while an increased launch cadence, necessitating additional personnel, would incur higher expenses. "There are areas where we expect savings as a result of this approach. There are areas where we expect to spend more," he stated, without estimating whether the net cost impact would be an increase or reduction. "We do believe we have the resources to achieve this."

These changes have been briefed to key members of Congress, aligning with Nelson's stated policy of "no surprises" on Capitol Hill. He reported that congressional members understand this is the path forward and that he hasn't heard any objections. He also clarified that while the new plan addresses some concerns raised by ASAP regarding the original Artemis 3, it was not the result of direct collaboration with the independent panel, but rather a parallel effort to rectify shortcomings identified.

The revisions were also coordinated with industry stakeholders. Kshatriya noted that the decision was made after assessing available hardware inventories and acknowledged progress on future SLS and Orion vehicles, as well as SpaceX's Starship. The revised plan has garnered support from Boeing, the prime contractor for the SLS and a developer of the Exploration Upper Stage. Steve Parker, head of Boeing's Defense, Space and Security business unit, stated in a release that their workforce and supply chain are prepared to meet the increased production demands for an accelerated launch schedule. Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for Orion, also endorsed the new architecture, with Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space, expressing excitement about the decision to increase launch cadence and reaffirming their commitment to meeting delivery timelines for the Orion spacecraft.

Ekhbary News Agency