Washington: NASA has announced significant changes to its Artemis programme, confirming that Artemis III will no longer attempt to land humans on the moon. The revised NASA plan instead introduces an additional test mission before any crewed lunar landing, pushing the return to the lunar surface to 2028.
The updated strategy has been outlined by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, who has said the agency needs a more incremental approach as it addresses delays and technical issues. Under the new roadmap, Artemis III is expected to launch by mid-2027 as a low-Earth orbit mission focused on testing essential systems rather than attempting a moon landing.
The decision has followed criticism from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, which has warned that the earlier Artemis III objectives carried elevated risks given demanding mission goals. The panel has urged NASA to reconsider its plans, describing the need for revisions as urgent.
NASA will increase the cadence of the Artemis missions to successfully return humans to the Moon and sustain a lunar presence.
Artemis III will test systems in low Earth orbit to prepare for an Artemis IV Moon landing in 2028. https://t.co/TovtCfQXzf pic.twitter.com/WFrTdacerY
— NASA (@NASA) February 27, 2026
Artemis II, which is designed to send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon without landing, has also faced setbacks. The launch has been moved from 6 March to 1 April at the earliest after engineers detected a blockage in the rocket’s helium flow, following earlier delays linked to a hydrogen leak in the Space Launch System rocket.
Under the revised NASA schedule, Artemis IV would target the first human moon landing of the programme in 2028, potentially near the lunar south pole. Artemis V could follow in the same year, with further missions planned annually if development milestones are achieved.
NASA has said the additional steps will allow engineers to gain more flight experience and test complex systems before committing to a crewed landing. The changes reflect a cautious reset as the agency seeks to reduce risk while advancing its long-term goal of returning astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972.
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