NASA’s auditor reveals US return to Moon won't be feasible for several years

In a major blow to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ambitious project, an audit report suggests that it would not return to the moon on its scheduled date, reported news agency Sputnik. Citing the audit reports of the Artemis Project, it further said that the American space agency has been facing a cash crunch, resulting in the delay of the ambitious project. Also, the audit report blamed the coronavirus pandemic as the second reason for the delay in the most touted project.

Notably, the Artemis program is a United States-led international human spaceflight program. Its main purpose is to return humans to the Moon, specifically the lunar south pole, by 2025. If successful, it will include the first crewed lunar landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972-- the last lunar flight of the Apollo program.  

Audit report suggests NASA adopt cost-cutting method

According to the audit report, the project was initially drafted to spend $93 billion by 2025. It said the first four launches would cost around $4.1 billion per launch. However, the audit report suggests the space agency adopt "safe and effective cost-cutting advances" in order to run the project at the same pace. It is worth mentioning that the set of missions aims to bring people - including the first woman and person of colour - to the moon and establish technological and infrastructure ability to build a permanent space station on the heavenly body. The project will see NASA and the private sector work together.

Know more about US space program

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate its commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. During this flight, the uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown, over the course of about a three-week mission. 

"This is a mission that truly will do what hasn’t been done and learn what isn’t known," said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "It will blaze a trail that people will follow on the next Orion flight, pushing the edges of the envelope to prepare for that mission."  

(Image: Twitter/@NASA)