WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — NASA announced it is delaying Artemis II and III missions, meant to take American astronauts back to the moon, because of a problem with the capsule’s heat shield.

Artemis II, a mission to take astronauts around the moon, was moved from September 2025 to April of 2026. Artemis III would land astronauts on the south pole of the moon, and likely won’t happen until mid-2027, NASA said.

“He says, we go to the moon and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, invoking former President John F. Kennedy. “Space is hard.”

NASA decided to push the launch of Artemis II because they found cracks in the heat shield after the Artemis I mission in 2022. Artemis I flew around the moon with no astronauts on board.

Nelson said NASA found the root cause of the cracks in the heat shield and is comfortable that they’ve found a “path forward.”

Nelson also emphasized, the new timeline would put astronauts on the moon well before 2030, when China would like to land on the moon.

“I can’t think of a time, perhaps since I was a little boy, that the space race has been more important,” said Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), the Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology committee. “Not just to put down a flag, but who’s going to dominate the off-world? Who will control the future?”

Nelson and Lucas said it’s vital the U.S. land on the south pole of the moon, first. Scientists believe they could find water at the south pole of the moon, which could allow astronauts to refuel and launch for Mars.

“It’s important in an area where we think there is such promise, the south pole, primarily because of the presence of water, that we establish our presence there, so that China would not be there and say keep out,” Nelson said.

Nelson said, though, he didn’t know whether China plans to land on the south pole of the moon or the equator in 2023.