The agency has just announced major changes to the Artemis program
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NASA’s path to the Moon takes a detour. The Artemis III mission, planned for 2027, will no longer land on the moon as initially plannedannounced NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on February 27 during a press conference. The agency instead aims to attempt two moon landings in 2028.
“Everyone agrees that this is the only way forward,” Isaacman said. “This is how NASA changed the world, and this is how NASA will do it again.”
This announcement comes as the Artemis II mission, which send astronauts around the moon for the first time since 1972, is facing a series of delays. After two dress rehearsals in February revealed leaks and other problems with the Space Launch System rocket’s fueling system, NASA brought it back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for repairs on February 25.
Artemis II initially targeted a launch as early as Feb. 6, but is now aiming for no earlier than April 1, said Associate Administrator Lori Glaze. To reach this date, the rocket will have to return to the launch pad around March 21.
In 2022, Artemis I launched an uncrewed capsule around the moon after facing similar fuel leaks. After the Artemis II flyby, the Artemis III mission was planned to land astronauts on the Moon in 2027, although the landers and spacesuits are not yet ready.
Letting three years pass between launches is “not a path to success,” Isaacman said, nor is it possible to go directly from a lunar flyby to a landing without testing the steps in between.
Instead, Artemis III will not land on the moon. This mission will still launch in 2027, but it will encounter one or both commercially built landers under development by SpaceX and Blue Origin in low Earth orbit. The astronauts will also test their space suitsdesigned by Houston-based company Axiom Space.
Artemis III will pave the way for two potential landing attempts in 2028 for Artemis IV and V. “We’re not committing to launching both, but we want the opportunity to do so,” Isaacman said.
NASA also abandoned plans to upgrade its SLS rocket between Artemis II and III.
“I breathe a sigh of relief,” says Jack Kiraly, director of government relations for the Planetary Society, headquartered in Pasadena, California. Combined with an upcoming Senate vote on NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026 — which makes specific recommendations about what the landings should do — and other developments, Kiraly sees the announcement as helping to refocus NASA’s attention on scientific and engineering challenges rather than political and budgetary ones.
“There are many technical problems at this stage,” explains Kiraly. “But it’s better to have technical problems, because they can be solved. It’s politics and bureaucracy that get in the way of these things.”
The ultimate goal, Isaacman said, is to launch missions to the Moon more frequently and build a long-term base there. He hopes that the missions will generate renewed interest in manned space exploration.
“We want to see a lot more kids dressing up as astronauts on Halloween,” he said. “Inspiring the next generation to take us further than the Moon is part of the plan.”
