NASA halts lunar orbit space station project, shifting focus to building a lunar base

The Moon Race: As NASA Pushes Forward to Send Astronauts Back to the Moon, Focus Shifts to Building a Lunar Base

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on Tuesday, March 24, that it will pause its plan to construct a small space station in lunar orbit, shifting focus instead to establishing a base on the lunar surface.

At an event held in Washington, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the agency is concentrating its resources on its core objectives, including sending astronauts to the Moon by early 2028.

The next phase of this effort is the "Artemis II" mission, which aims to carry four astronauts around the Moon and back to Earth. NASA officials said on Tuesday that the spacecraft is progressing according to schedule and could launch as early as April 1.

Isaacman said that once astronauts successfully land on the Moon, NASA plans to conduct a crewed mission to the lunar surface every six months.

He also revealed that NASA will collaborate with commercial companies interested in developing future space stations to succeed the International Space Station.

Source: voa

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860594714501195/

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