The agency has postponed its plans to land on the Moon within the Artemis program, delaying the targeted landing from Artemis III to Artemis IV, which is scheduled for 2028. Initially set for 2027, Artemis III will now serve as a test flight. NASA announced these changes during a press conference, revealing plans to increase mission frequency, including a second test flight in 2027 and aiming for at least one lunar landing each subsequent year, beginning with Artemis IV.
The decision to revise the Artemis schedule comes after a report from NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), which identified critical safety issues with the previous mission plan. The report expressed significant concern over the risks associated with Artemis III, highlighting the extensive technical, operational, and scheduling challenges posed by its novel objectives.
Artemis II, planned for this year, has encountered several problems during testing, pushing its launch date to April at the earliest. This mission aims to send humans into lunar orbit for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.