The agency will cease efforts to land on the Moon with Artemis III, postponing the landing until 2028 with Artemis IV.
The agency will cease efforts to land on the Moon with Artemis III, postponing the landing until 2028 with Artemis IV.
NASA revealed during a press briefing on Friday that it is postponing its Moon landing plans until Artemis IV in 2028. The Artemis III mission, which was set for 2027, was initially intended to attempt a Moon landing but will now serve as a test flight. NASA has also stated that it is “increasing its frequency of missions,” which includes adding a second test flight in 2027 and aiming for “at least one surface landing each year thereafter,” including the Artemis IV landing.
The revision to the Artemis launch timetable was prompted by a report from NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) this month that noted substantial safety hazards with NASA’s prior launch strategies. ASAP expressed significant concern over Artemis III, claiming that the report identified excessive “cumulative technical, operational, and scheduling risks tied to multiple first-of-a-kind objectives designated for a single mission.”
The Artemis II mission, planned for this year, has encountered numerous issues during testing over the past weeks, pushing its launch to no earlier than April. Artemis II aims to orbit the Moon — if successful, it will mark the first time humans reach lunar orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
