SLS, Orion, lunar landers… All of these programs delay the return of the United States to the moon, the date of which is set for late 2024. Added to this is the problem of developing a new generation of space packs, according to a report by the agency NASA that finds it impractical to land on the moon within a short period of time. specified time.
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according to bureau report NASA’s Inspector General published on August 10, the new generation of space bags, the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), was not ready around November 2024. The originally scheduled date for America’s return to the moon.
As indicated in the document, this combination will not be available until early April 2025. This delay of about 20 months was due to a lack of funds, the impact of Covid-19 and technical constraints.
Funding problems arise after Congress for 2021 77% of the total amount requested by NASA for the program Gate space station. Accordingly, officials reduced the budget for the xEVA project, which includes the xEMU combination, from $209 million to $150 million. This 28% drop resulted in a delay of at least three months in the xEMU development schedule.
The pandemic also plays a role. The xEVA project has been delayed by at least three months due to intermittent facility closures and work restrictions starting in March 2020, which is still ongoing a year later.
At the technical level, especially the composition of the pack which presents many challenges related to the Life Support System (xPLSS).
The report states that $420 million has been spent on the project, but the costs will amount to more than $1 billion for this combination.
This delay even caused a reaction Elon Musk on Twitter, who offered to help from his company SpaceX.
Other factors involved
Previous audit work by the office also showed significant delays in other major programs critical to the moon landing, notably the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
This further relates to the development of the lunar lander and the recently resolved dispute over the development contract.
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