The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, has called on NASA to reevaluate its plans for the Artemis missions.
Members of the safety panel voiced concerns about the multiple first-time goals for Artemis 3 during a meeting held on Jan. 30, Space News reported Saturday.
Possible Risks With the Artemis 3 Mission
ASAP stressed that each achievement NASA plans to attain during Artemis 3, the campaign’s first crewed lunar landing mission, comes with risks. With the number of first-time goals the agency plans to accomplish with the mission, the risks are multiplied and may become more complicated.
The safety panel has already discussed in its 2024 report the potential challenges that multiple firsts may bring. In the annual report, ASAP mentioned 13 first-time objectives involving the Starship lunar lander and new Axiom Space spacesuits. The number has since multiplied, coinciding with plans to reformulate Orion’s Avcoat heat shield.
“Each first milestone carries its own individual risk and, as these risks are compounded and aggregated, it only increases the overall risk posture for any individual flight mission,” said Bill Bray, an ASAP member.
Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator of the Moon to Mars Program, has already been briefed about the panel’s concerns.
Changes to SpaceX’s Approach
During the SpaceCom conference, Deep Space Logistics Program Manager Mark Wiese mentioned that SpaceX’s approach to delivering cargo has to be modified to meet evolving logistic needs. SpaceX initially received a contract from NASA in 2020 to proceed with the first gateway Logistics Services program mission using the Dragon XL cargo spacecraft.
NASA’s Human Landing System Update
Kent Chojnacki, deputy manager of the human landing system program, noted that like SpaceX, Blue Origin continues to progress with its crewed lunar lander project. Blue Origin has already launched its New Glenn rocket and tested the legs of its lander.
