The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) plan to return humans to the Moon by 2028 could be pushed back three years due to delays in the development of spacesuits.
The next-generation spacesuits the U.S. space agency is getting from private contractor Axiom Space may not be ready by 2028, according to an audit by NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The audit report found that design and testing delays could prove to be a major problem for the Artemis IV mission.
It could also give China an advantage over the United States in a new space race. China also plans to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) by 2035.
The NASA audit report suggests that the 50-year-old spacesuits used in the Apollo missions were unsuitable and that the wardrobe currently used by astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) also requires major changes because they carry significant safety risks.
Axiom Space is NASA’s sole spacesuit supplier. The deputy audit director said the trial was about a year and a half late.
However, the entrepreneur seems optimistic. Although he welcomed the audit, Axiom Space’s CEO said his company was committed to delivering safe, high-performance spacesuits on time.
The Artemis program is already behind schedule since the original plan was now to send astronauts to the Moon; however, some complications caused significant delays.
It remains to be seen whether NASA would invite new bidders to lead the competition, just as it put two billion-dollar companies in competition to build the lunar lander first.
