In late 2017, President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive 1, directing NASA to return astronauts to the Moon. The announcement came on the 45th anniversary of Apollo 17, the last Apollo mission. In 2019, Vice President Mike Pence pushed the agency to accelerate the effort and aim for a 2024 landing.
That deadline passed. Although NASA successfully sent an uncrewed spacecraft around the Moon with Artemis 1 in November 2022, a crewed landing remains years away.
NASA has now confirmed major changes to the Artemis program, delaying a potential lunar landing until at least early 2028. After setbacks to Artemis 2 — which will carry four astronauts around the Moon — the agency announced that Artemis 3 will no longer attempt a landing.
Instead, Artemis 3, now targeted for mid-2027, will test docking maneuvers in low-Earth orbit with SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers. Astronauts will also test lunar spacesuits in orbit. Actual landing attempts have been moved to Artemis 4 and Artemis 5, both scheduled for 2028 if development stays on track.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said long gaps between missions and changing rocket configurations have slowed progress. He argued for shorter intervals and incremental steps, noting that earlier Moon programs like Mercury and Gemini built up gradually before Apollo 11.
Artemis 2 is still expected to launch in the coming weeks after recent technical delays, including a helium leak that forced the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. NASA is now reshaping its lunar strategy, scaling back ambitious timelines in favor of a more gradual return to the Moon.