NASA delays Artemis mission featuring Canadian astronaut to 2026

Dec 5, 2024 | 2:03 PM

MONTREAL — Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s trip to the moon has been delayed once again.

NASA announced Thursday that the next mission in the Artemis program – sending four astronauts around the moon and back – is now targeted for April 2026 at the earliest, after previously being delayed until September 2025.

The agency says the investigation into heat shield damage from the capsule’s initial test flight two years ago took time, and other spacecraft improvements are still needed.

NASA has also bumped the third Artemis mission — a moon landing by two other astronauts — from 2026 to at least 2027.