NASA: Project to Return the United States to the Moon May Be Postponed Without Private Rockets

A new rocket design being produced by NASA will not be ready for a launch scheduled for June 2020, said Wednesday the board's director of the agency at Congress.

Jim BridenstineJames (Jim) Frederick BridenstineThe SpaceX Dragon Flight and the SpaceX Spaceflight, the launch capsule of NASA launch a new attempt to send astronauts back from the US ground up naming NASA for its inspiration for the hidden characters Katherine Johnson MORE informed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that one mission was to send an unmanned capsule around the moon next year, a three-week test flight for one mission with crew planned for 2023, may need to be delayed unless the agency decides to go with private rockets for launch.

The NASA official said the agency would decide in the coming weeks to delay the planned test flight for 2020 and use a NASA rocket or to continue the planned launch date. but to switch to commercial-made rockets.

The mission would require two rockets – one for the initial launch and one for launching a second leg at which the Orion spacecraft would land when it reached the Earth's orbit.

The capacity of the Orion crew capsule is involved. The capsule is currently unable to dock at a second stage in orbit and it would need equipment to do so in order to continue its launch in 2020. Bridenstine told the Senate panel that this would probably require more Congress funding.

The 2020 mission plans to send an unmanned crew capsule, the Orion, around the moon before bringing it back to Earth. If successful, a second mission scheduled for 2023 would perform the same flight with a small crew.

The chairman of the committee told Bridenstine that he wanted NASA to stay on time, an idea approved by Bridenstine.

"We are in 2019", Sen. Roger WickerRoger Frederick WickerGOP: Senators Introduce a Bill to Limit the Emergency Power of President Tech Mobilizes K Street in a Fight Against the Protection of Privacy State rules complicate the promotion of 39: Federal Data Privacy Act PLUS (R-Miss.) Bridenstine said.

"I want to be clear: NASA has always struggled to meet launch dates, and I'm trying to change that," said Bridenstine.

"I would really like us to stay on schedule," said Wicker before ending his interview.

NASA is currently using private space flight companies such as SpaceX to make deliveries to the International Space Station. SpaceX is currently working on a capsule that could transport the team to the station, which is expected to go into service this summer.