The setback does not come as a shock. Congress gave NASA’s Human Landing System project just $ 850 million in its latest spending bill, up from the $ 3.2 billion it said was needed for the planned moon landing in 2024. It doesn’t help that NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine took off when President Biden took office, leaving his deputy Steve Jurczyk in his place. The organization just doesn’t have the resources or direction it expected.
As such, the chances of NASA meeting its 2024 Artemis target are so much smaller. That also takes into account possible changes in priorities at NASA under Biden’s administration. The new White House has put a lot of effort into addressing immediate crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn. It may be reluctant to pay close attention (if any) to a moon landing until the land is better off.