NASA Delays Mission To Send Humans Back To Moon: 'Technically Challenging'

The NASA logo is displayed at the Earth Information Center exhibit, at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 21, 2023. (Credit: STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

NASA announced updates to its Artemis Moon missions, which will delay the Artemis II crewed flight to April 2026 and Artemis III to 2027.

The delays allow time to address issues with Orion spacecraft systems, including its heat shield, which experienced unexpected material loss during Artemis I's re-entry, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said in an official statement.