NASA Revises Artemis Moon Landing Plans, Delays Surface Mission to 2028

NASA has overhauled its Artemis program schedule, shifting the crewed lunar landing from the originally planned Artemis III to Artemis IV, now targeted for 2028. Artemis III will serve as an orbital test mission, focusing on rendezvous and docking in low‑Earth orbit between the Orion spacecraft and one or more commercial lunar landers, and will evaluate life‑support, communications, propulsion systems, and new spacesuits.

The agency cites the need to reduce technical risk associated with the Human Landing System before attempting a surface landing. The first crewed flight, Artemis II, successfully orbited the Moon after its launch on 1 April 2026, marking a key step toward sustained lunar exploration and eventual missions to Mars.