NASA新局长：美国将在三年内重返月球

Core Viewpoint - NASA's new administrator, Jared Isaacman, announced plans for the U.S. to return to the Moon during President Trump's second term, emphasizing the importance of lunar exploration for establishing an "orbital economy" [1] Group 1: Lunar Exploration Plans - The U.S. aims to return to the Moon within three years, with opportunities for building space data centers and infrastructure, as well as mining helium-3 for potential nuclear fusion energy [1] - NASA is collaborating with contractors like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing on the Artemis program, which not only focuses on lunar missions but also prepares for future Mars missions [1] Group 2: Artemis Program Timeline - The Artemis program has confirmed four missions, with Artemis 1 completed in 2022, but subsequent missions have faced delays; Artemis 2 is now scheduled for 2026 and Artemis 3 for 2027 [2] - The estimated cost of the crewed lunar program is projected to reach $93 billion by 2025, significantly exceeding the original budget [2] Group 3: SpaceX's Role and Challenges - SpaceX won a $2.9 billion contract in 2021 to develop a crewed lunar lander based on the Starship, chosen for its lower cost compared to competitors [3] - Despite the initial selection, SpaceX's development of the lunar lander has faced significant delays, with the lander expected to be completed by April 2025, but now projected to be delayed by approximately 2.5 years [4] Group 4: Future Testing and Uncertainties - SpaceX is preparing a new version of Starship, V3, for upcoming tests in 2026, but the reliability of this system remains uncertain due to past failures [4] - Experts estimate only a 40% chance of achieving crewed lunar landing by 2027, with low probabilities for 2028 as well [4]