NASA Delays 2027 Moon Landing, Plans Two Missions in 2028

The Artemis III mission will now focus on docking and spacesuit tests in low Earth orbit instead of a lunar landing.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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NASA has announced that its Artemis III mission, originally scheduled for 2027, will no longer land astronauts on the moon as planned. Instead, the mission will rendezvous in low Earth orbit with commercially built landers to test docking procedures and spacesuits. NASA now aims to attempt two lunar landing missions in 2028 with the Artemis IV and V missions.

Why it matters

This change in NASA's Artemis program timeline reflects the technical challenges the agency is facing, including delays and issues with the Space Launch System rocket. By delaying the lunar landing and focusing on intermediate steps, NASA hopes to build a more sustainable path forward for future moon missions and a long-term lunar presence.

The details

The Artemis II mission, which will send astronauts around the moon, is facing a series of delays after recent dress rehearsals revealed leaks and other issues with the rocket's fueling system. To make the current target launch date of April 1, the rocket will need to return to the launch pad by March 21. Originally, the plan was for the Artemis III mission to land astronauts on the moon in 2027, but NASA determined that was not a viable timeline given the lack of readiness of the landers and spacesuits.

  • Artemis II originally targeted a launch as early as February 6 but now aims for no sooner than April 1, 2026.
  • Artemis III was originally scheduled for 2027 but will now focus on docking and spacesuit tests in low Earth orbit.
  • Artemis IV and V are planned for 2028 with the goal of attempting two lunar landing missions.

The players

Jared Isaacman

NASA administrator who announced the changes to the Artemis program timeline.

Lori Glaze

NASA associate administrator who provided an update on the Artemis II mission timeline.

Jack Kiraly

Director of government relations for the Planetary Society, who sees the announcement as helping to pull NASA's focus back to technical challenges rather than political and budgetary ones.

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What they’re saying

“Everyone agrees this is the only way forward. This is how NASA changed the world, and this is how NASA is going to do it again.”

— Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator (sciencenews.org)

“The technical problems abound at this point. But better to have the technical problems, because those can be solved. It's politics and bureaucracy that get in the way of those things.”

— Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations, Planetary Society (sciencenews.org)

What’s next

The Artemis III mission will rendezvous in low Earth orbit with commercially built landers in 2027, and NASA aims to attempt two lunar landing missions with Artemis IV and V in 2028.

The takeaway

NASA's decision to delay the Artemis III lunar landing and focus on intermediate steps reflects the agency's commitment to addressing technical challenges and building a sustainable path forward for future moon missions, even if it means adjusting the original timeline.