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NASA Delays Moon Landing to 2028, Adds Extra Mission
27 Feb
Summary
- Artemis III moon landing is now targeted for 2028.
- An extra moon mission will launch a lander for docking practice in 2027.
- New plan addresses safety panel concerns about ambitious goals.
NASA has announced a revised plan for its Artemis program, pushing the crewed lunar landing to 2028. This updated timeline includes an additional mission in 2027 focused on launching a lunar lander into Earth orbit for docking practice with the Orion capsule.
The Artemis II mission, a lunar fly-around, has been delayed until at least April 2026 due to ongoing rocket repairs. The subsequent Artemis III mission, which targets a landing near the moon's south pole, has been rescheduled. The new strategy prioritizes increasing flight cadence to reduce the three-year gap between missions, aiming for a year or less, mirroring historical rapid flight rates.
This adjustment responds to recommendations from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, which advised revising the demanding mission goals for Artemis III to ensure astronaut safety. NASA's new administrator emphasized the need to return to basic, proven methods to achieve faster and more frequent flights, ensuring the United States safely returns astronauts to the moon.
