The Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle has once again been rolled out to the launchpad, preparing to send the Artemis II spacecraft into orbit. This mission, first reported at the end of January, is meant to mark a milestone: the first crewed flight of the Artemis program, launched during Donald Trump’s first presidency and designed to return Americans to the Moon.
For the astronauts involved, it will also be a first. They will fly aboard the SLS, a super-heavy rocket assembled from Space Shuttle-era components, and travel in the Orion spacecraft, which has been in development for years as NASA’s vehicle for deep-space missions. For the first time in half a century, humans are expected to venture beyond Earth’s orbit. Even if, for now, the plan is only to fly past the Moon without entering its orbit.
Yet behind the symbolism lies a program under pressure. Years of underfunding and shifting priorities have left Artemis struggling to maintain momentum. Meanwhile, China is accelerating its own efforts and may yet become the first country to land humans on the Moon in the 21st century. Washington has noticed and is now attempting to respond with a series of abrupt and, in some cases, radical changes.
The Artemis II launch has already illustrated the program’s fragility. As anticipated, technical issues intervened. A helium leak in the upper stage forced NASA to roll the rocket back from the launch pad to the assembly building in late February. Earlier, less serious problems had been resolved on site, but this one proved more persistent. The entire March launch window was lost. A new attempt is now scheduled for early April, though further delays could push it back to the end of the month.
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