What Will Prevent NASA Astronauts from Landing on the Moon?

According to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, in order to land astronauts on the moon's surface, it is essential to improve life support systems, particularly the space suits. The office's report states, "Due to issues in developing the lunar lander and space suits, NASA will not be able to land astronauts on the moon in 2025 as scheduled." The report notes that "NASA and its contractors are facing problems in developing the lunar lander and space suits." For instance, some flight tests have been postponed, which may affect the timing of subsequent tests. There remains a significant amount of challenging work to be done. As a result, we believe it is unlikely that the moon landing mission will be completed in 2025 as planned." The Congressional oversight agency stated that space agency specialists had previously allocated 79 months to develop the lunar lander. This is "13 months shorter than the average time required for NASA's major projects. Given the complexities of crewed spaceflight, we cannot expect it to be completed on schedule. Even if its innovation takes the average duration NASA needs for its major projects, it is likely that the Artemis 3 mission will be completed in early 2027." It should be noted that "NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced at a House Appropriations Committee hearing in April that two American astronauts could land on the moon in late 2025 or early 2026 as part of the Artemis 3 mission."