Science
NASA outlines accelerated Artemis schedule targeting Americans' return to Moon in 2028
NASA News reports that Artemis III would test docking in 2027 ahead of a planned 2028 Artemis IV lunar landing.
The short version
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other agency leaders outlined updated Artemis acceleration plans on Oct. 23, targeting a return of Americans to the lunar surface in 2028.[NASA News]
- Under the revised plan, Artemis III in 2027 would send four astronauts on a 14-day Earth-orbit mission to test rendezvous and docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin lander test vehicles.[NASA News]
- The crewed Artemis IV landing mission, targeted for 2028, would launch on SLS from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with SpaceX and Blue Origin both targeting crewed landing support that year.[NASA News]
- The 2027 and 2028 dates are described as targets rather than confirmed milestones, and NASA is pursuing two upper-stage options for the Artemis IV SLS rocket.[NASA News]
Key facts
- Artemis III is planned for 2027 as a 14-day crewed mission in Earth orbit, with four astronauts aboard Orion launched on SLS.[NASA News]
- Artemis III would test rendezvous, docking, and operations between Orion and lunar lander test vehicles from SpaceX and Blue Origin.[NASA News]
- Artemis IV, targeted for 2028, would launch astronauts aboard Orion on SLS from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.[NASA News]
- Both SpaceX and Blue Origin are targeting support for a crewed lunar landing in 2028.[NASA News]
- NASA is pursuing two upper-stage options for Artemis IV's SLS rocket: the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and a stretched version of ULA's Centaur V.[NASA News]
- NASA reports Artemis III hardware is on track, with processing timelines reduced by about half.[NASA News]
- According to Artemis program manager Jeremy Parsons, NASA redesigned, built, and tested a critical fuel-line component in-house in five months at about a tenth of an earlier outside-vendor estimate.[NASA News]
- NASA and Axiom Space plan a second, lighter spacesuit called the Sortie suit, roughly half the weight of the larger suit, for the first moonwalks.[NASA News]
What remains uncertain
- The 2027 Artemis III and 2028 Artemis IV dates are presented as targets, and the reporting does not indicate whether they will be met.[NASA News]
- The claimed cost savings for the fuel-line component are an attributed estimate from NASA's program manager and have not been independently verified.[NASA News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.