Artemis II Launch Under Threat: What’s Holding Back Our Return to the Moon?

Looking forward to the long-awaited human return to the Moon with Artemis II next year? You might need a bit more patience. Unresolved issues with Orion’s heat shield and delays in-ground system refurbishments mean the mission is unlikely to proceed as scheduled.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) provided some updates on the preparations to the Artemis II launch in September 2025. A report, published on 17 October, found that work on the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) programme, which includes the mobile launcher and other ground systems needed to support launches of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, could push back the Artemis II launch.

Artemis II Mission: Will the Damage Be Fixed on Time?

Artemis I launch in November 2022 caused more damage to the mobile launcher than expected, requiring repairs and the installation of protective barriers to mitigate future damage. Since then, NASA has been working on upgrades and repairs to the ground systems.

At the start of 2024, the Exploration Ground Systems programme had a three-month schedule margin in its efforts towards a September 2025 launch. However, by June, this margin had been entirely used up due to ongoing technical issues with the rocket’s mobile launcher and pad testing.

According to the GAO report: “while EGS elements are close to completion, the programme has no schedule margin for these remaining activities”. “Given the lack of margin, if further issues arise during testing or integration, there will likely be delays to the September 2025 Artemis II launch date”, the report elaborates.

How’s the Orion Heat Shield Investigation Going?

Another unresolved issue is the state of Orion spacecraft’s heat shield, which was significantly damaged during the Artemis I mission. One of the primary goals of the uncrewed spaceflight was to assess the performance of the Orion heat shield, ensuring its safety before astronauts are placed aboard the vehicle. 

The heat shield, located at the base of the capsule, is designed to protect the crew during Orion’s return to Earth. During the Artemis I mission, which sent Orion to the Moon in late 2022 without astronauts, sections of charred material cracked and chipped away from Orion’s heat shield during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Once the spacecraft landed, engineers found more than 100 areas where the stresses of reentry had damaged the heat shield. 

So, was the test failed and could the astronauts of the future mission be in danger due to the heat shield’s unreliability? NASA representatives insist that the heat shield performed its function – a crew inside the Orion would have been safe. However, it sustained more damage than NASA’s engineers expected. That’s why they’ve spent almost two years studying the issue, and it is why in January NASA has already delayed Artemis II from this year into September 2025.

On Track for the Moon?

Scepticism is mounting over whether Artemis II will launch as planned in less than a year, yet agency officials continue to state that the mission remains on schedule. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a press conference on 15 October: “Artemis is doing very well. We are on the schedule to go back to the moon.”