Omicron Pandemic Surge Caught Artemis Mission Planners by Surprise - NASA Officials

A WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2022) The Omicron variant surge has significantly slowed progress on the unmanned Artemis-1 test mission, senior NASA officials told a press conference on Wednesday.

"Omicron has affected all of us: In general work force shortages are a real thing," NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Tom Whitmeyer told the podcast press conference. "Everyone is seeing the logistical challenges. We have certain parts availability. Sometimes we have to refocus what we work on."

NASA Kennedy Space Center Exploration Ground Systems Program Manager Mike Bolger acknowledged that mission planners and technicians had been taken by surprise by the impact of both the Delta and Omicron variant surges during the COVID-19 pandemic over the past six months.

"I think that caught everyone off guard. It has slowed us down some. The Delta virus had a more significant impact. It absolutely is a concern on the supply chain. It has affected the program we are working our way through it," he told the press conference.

The first integrated Artemis mission sending an unmanned Orion capsule on a Northrop Grumman-built Space Launch System (SLS) had been expected in February or March but planners are now looking at launch windows in April and May instead, the NASA officials told the press conference.