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    Artemis program

    Also known as Artemis, Artemis programme, Artemis campaign

    Artemis is NASA's programme to return astronauts to the Moon, using the SLS rocket, the Orion capsule and commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin.[1] Artemis II flew four astronauts around the Moon in April 2026; after a February 2026 overhaul, Artemis III will test landers in Earth orbit in 2027 and Artemis IV is targeted as the first landing, at the lunar South Pole in 2028.[2][3]

    Editor reviewedUpdated Space exploration and astronomySpaceScience
    Key facts

    What it is

    Artemis is NASA’s effort to send astronauts back to the Moon for the first time since Apollo, starting with the lunar South Pole.[3] Crews launch on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in an Orion capsule, then transfer to a commercial lander for the trip to the surface.[1] NASA has paid SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop those landers: by March 2026 it had obligated $6.9 billion for lander development and expected to spend $18.3 billion through fiscal 2030.[4]

    Artemis II: the first crewed flight

    Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026, and splashed down off San Diego on April 10.[2][5] It was the first crewed flight of SLS and Orion and took astronauts around the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era.[6] The crew were NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen.[5] At their farthest they were 252,756 miles from Earth.[7]

    The 2026 overhaul

    On February 27, 2026, NASA restructured the programme. Artemis III, previously the landing mission, became a 2027 flight in low Earth orbit to rendezvous and dock with one or both commercial landers and to test new spacesuits; the first landing moved to Artemis IV in 2028.[1] NASA also said it would keep SLS in its current Block 1 configuration instead of building upgraded versions, and aim for at least one landing a year after Artemis IV.[8] In June 2026 it named the Artemis III crew, including ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, for a roughly two-week mission.[9]

    At its March 24, 2026 “Ignition” event NASA said it would pause the Gateway station that was to orbit the Moon “in its current form”, shift its focus to infrastructure on the surface and repurpose Gateway equipment. In April, Isaacman defended the decision, which press coverage described as a cancellation, before the House Science Committee.[10] The same event set out a three-phase Moon Base plan and a target of up to 30 robotic commercial landings starting in 2027.[11] NASA’s Moon Base plan aims for a habitable lunar base by 2029, starting with robotic Blue Moon landings.[12]

    The lander problem

    The landers are the programme’s critical path. NASA’s Inspector General reported in March 2026 that both providers had schedule delays and that SpaceX’s lander would not be ready for a June 2027 landing.[13] SpaceX’s approach needs a propellant depot in low Earth orbit filled by more than 10 tanker flights before each landing.[14] Starship made progress in 2026. Its new Version 3 flew suborbital tests in May and July, and it reached orbit for the first time on September 28, but it had not yet transferred propellant between two vehicles by late September.[15][16][17][18] Blue Origin’s crewed Blue Moon Mark 2 is designed for up to four astronauts. The loss of a New Glenn rocket in a pad explosion on May 28, 2026 was expected to delay its first robotic Moon landing, and Blue Origin aims to fly New Glenn again by the end of 2026.[19][20][21]

    Why it matters

    Artemis is the centrepiece of a renewed race to the Moon: China is targeting its own crewed landing by 2030.[22] It also dominates NASA’s budget debates, which are covered in the NASA priorities debate. For the lander rocket, see spacex-starship; for China’s programme, see chang-e-program.

    Questions readers ask

    Did Artemis II land on the Moon?

    No. Artemis II flew its four-person crew around the Moon and back over about nine days in April 2026, without landing.[2][6]

    When will astronauts land on the Moon again?

    NASA targets Artemis IV in 2028 as the first landing, at the lunar South Pole. Artemis III in 2027 will stay in low Earth orbit to test the landers.[1][3]

    Who is building the Moon landers?

    SpaceX (a lunar version of Starship) and Blue Origin (Blue Moon). A March 2026 audit found both had schedule delays.[9][13]

    What happened to the Gateway lunar station?

    At its March 2026 "Ignition" event NASA said it would pause Gateway in its current form and repurpose its equipment for surface infrastructure. Administrator Jared Isaacman defended the decision before Congress in April 2026.[10]

    Sources

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Status shows how well established it is.

    1. [1]

      On February 27, 2026, NASA changed Artemis III into a 2027 crewed mission in low Earth orbit to test rendezvous and docking with one or both commercial lunar landers, ahead of a first landing on Artemis IV in 2028. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    2. [2]

      Artemis II launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026, and splashed down on April 10, 2026, after a mission of 9 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    3. [3]

      NASA describes Artemis IV as the first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole, targeted for 2028. confirmedas of 2026-06-09

    4. [4]

      NASA had obligated $6.9 billion for Human Landing System development since 2019 and estimated it would spend $18.3 billion through fiscal year 2030, according to a March 2026 Inspector General audit. confirmedas of 2026-03-10

    5. [5]

      The Artemis II crew were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot) and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen; they splashed down off San Diego. confirmedas of 2026-04-10

    6. [6]

      Artemis II was the first crewed flight of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, and the first crewed lunar flyby in about 50 years. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    7. [7]

      At their farthest point the Artemis II crew were 252,756 miles from Earth. confirmedas of 2026-04-10

    8. [8]

      In its February 2026 update NASA said it would standardize the SLS rocket on its current Block 1 configuration rather than develop evolved variants, and aim for at least one lunar surface landing every year after Artemis IV. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    9. [9]

      On June 9, 2026, NASA named the Artemis III crew as Randy Bresnik (commander), ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano (pilot), Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, for a roughly two-week mission in low Earth orbit in 2027. confirmedas of 2026-06-09

    10. [10]

      At its March 24, 2026 "Ignition" event NASA said it intended to pause the Gateway lunar-orbiting station in its current form, shift focus to lunar surface infrastructure and repurpose applicable equipment; in April 2026 Administrator Jared Isaacman defended his decision to cancel Gateway before the House Science Committee. confirmedas of 2026-04-22

    11. [11]

      NASA's March 24, 2026 Ignition announcements included launching the SR-1 Freedom nuclear-electric spacecraft to Mars before the end of 2028 to deploy the Skyfall Ingenuity-class helicopters, a three-phase plan to build a Moon Base, and targeting up to 30 robotic Commercial Lunar Payload Services landings starting in 2027. confirmedas of 2026-03-24

    12. [12]

      NASA's Moon Base plan aims to establish a habitable lunar base by 2029, and NASA chose Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander Endurance for the first Moon Base mission. reportedas of 2026-06-06

    13. [13]

      NASA's Inspector General found in March 2026 that the SpaceX and Blue Origin lander contracts had grown by only 6 percent and less than 1 percent respectively, but that both companies had schedule delays and SpaceX's lander would not be ready for a June 2027 lunar landing. confirmedas of 2026-03-10

    14. [14]

      SpaceX's lunar lander plan requires launching a propellant storage depot to low Earth orbit followed by more than 10 Starship tanker flights, starting more than 200 days before crew launch. confirmedas of 2026-03-10

    15. [15]

      On May 22, 2026, SpaceX launched Starship Flight 12, the first flight of Starship Version 3 and the first Starship mission since October 2025, from a newly completed second pad at Starbase, Texas. confirmedas of 2026-05-23

    16. [16]

      On July 24, 2026, Starship Flight 13 deployed 20 Starlink Version 3 satellites on a suborbital path (they re-entered as planned), relit one of the Ship's Raptor engines in space, and made a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean, where the Ship floated intact for the first time; the booster hit the Gulf of Mexico harder than planned after only five of 13 engines fired for its landing burn. confirmedas of 2026-07-25

    17. [17]

      On September 28, 2026, Starship reached orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight and deployed 26 Starlink satellites, despite one of the Ship's six engines failing during ascent. confirmedas of 2026-09-28

    18. [18]

      As of September 29, 2026, SpaceX had not yet transferred propellant between two vehicles in space; Elon Musk had said SpaceX may try to catch a Ship with the launch tower on Flight 15, provisionally no earlier than October 19, and SpaceX was building three Starship pads in Florida. reportedas of 2026-09-29

    19. [19]

      Blue Origin's uncrewed Blue Moon Mark 1 lander can carry 3,000 kg to the lunar surface, while its crewed Mark 2 lander is designed to carry up to four astronauts. reportedas of 2026-06-06

    20. [20]

      Blue Origin lost a New Glenn rocket during hotfire testing at Launch Complex 36 on May 28, 2026, which was expected to delay its first Blue Moon lander mission; Blue Origin and NASA leaders suggested a return to flight by the end of 2026. reportedas of 2026-06-06

    21. [21]

      Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded on the pad at Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral, during a static-fire test on May 28, 2026, ahead of a planned Amazon Leo launch; on June 30 Blue Origin said early findings pointed to the rocket's first stage and that it aimed to return to flight by the end of 2026 without rebuilding the same pad. confirmedas of 2026-06-30

    22. [22]

      China is targeting a crewed lunar landing by 2030 and has tested its Long March-10 rocket and Mengzhou crew spacecraft, with maiden flights of Mengzhou and the Lanyue lunar lander still to come as of May 2026. confirmedas of 2026-05-23

    Revision history (2)
    1. Page created.
    2. Re-sourced the Gateway change to NASA's Ignition fact sheet (paused, equipment repurposed); added Moon Base phases, Starship's 2026 flights and New Glenn's return-to-flight goal.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 10, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "Artemis program." ContentLora, updated Oct 10, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/artemis-program

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    SpaceX Starship Crewed lander providerChang'e lunar progr… Lunar competitor
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