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The next American footsteps on the Moon now have a revised timetable. NASA says it intends to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028, but the route has changed. Under the reworked NASA Artemis plan, the agency has altered how its two commercial landers will operate, and it is holding off on naming which company will make the first touchdown.
What NASA Announced
Officials described the strategy on Friday, 23 October, at Kennedy Space Center. They also gave the most detailed look yet at Artemis III, a crewed rehearsal in low Earth orbit planned for next year. That mission will test rendezvous and docking with landers from both Blue Origin and SpaceX.
The landing itself is now assigned to Artemis IV. That mission is meant to put two astronauts near the Moon’s south pole, which would be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. In practical terms, Artemis III is a practice run, while Artemis IV is where the crew would actually step onto the surface.
Keeping Both Landers in Play
A Change to the Contracts
SpaceX’s Starship had originally been assigned to Artemis III and IV, with Blue Origin’s Blue Moon set for Artemis V. Under the revised contracts, both companies take part in Artemis III, and neither is tied to a specific landing mission.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency is preserving optionality and has no intention of giving up a viable path to the surface before data and schedule force it to. Artemis programme manager Jeremy Parsons said both providers are planning lunar landings in 2028, regardless of which one goes first.
That flexibility is the core of the NASA Artemis plan. If one lander slips, the other can still keep the programme moving. Keeping both companies active also means NASA must follow two different sets of hardware and schedules at once.
New Orbital Arrangements
The landers will no longer meet Orion in the distant near-rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon. Starship HLS will dock with Orion in Earth orbit and then push the combined stack into low lunar orbit. NASA says this sharply reduces the amount of propellant SpaceX must transfer in orbit. That matters because the technique has never been shown at this scale, as the risks section below explains.
Blue Origin will put off propellant transfer for now. It will instead use three transfer stages to carry its Blue Moon Mark 2 lander to an elliptical polar lunar orbit, which allows faster returns to Orion.
The Artemis III Rehearsal
Artemis III will put astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano in orbit. They will spend about two days docked with Blue Moon, entering the lander and testing its life support systems. Entering the lander and testing its systems while docked lets engineers learn how the spacecraft behave together before anyone attempts a descent. A brief docking with Starship, of around two hours, comes next.
Parsons said everything on Artemis III is designed to reduce risk for future lunar landing missions. The flight stays in low Earth orbit, so crews can practise key steps without travelling to the Moon.
Tight Margins
Schedule Pressure
The NASA Artemis plan leaves little room for error. The agency targets next summer, yet Isaacman informed staff last month that Artemis III had slipped by roughly 90 days. The agency blames most of the delay on late electronics parts for Blue Origin’s lander. Late parts are a reminder that a mission depends on every supplier, not only on the rockets and spacecraft that attract attention.
Two Unproven Steps
The plan also depends on two things that have not happened yet. SpaceX has never transferred propellant between spacecraft at this scale, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn has not flown since a mishap in May.
A schedule built on untested steps carries real risk, which helps explain why NASA wants two options instead of one.
The Apollo Comparison
Isaacman presented the approach as a return to the agency’s past methods. He pointed to the playbook that went from the Apollo 7 splashdown to Apollo 11 in just nine months.
Whether that comparison holds will depend on how quickly the hardware and testing come together in the months ahead.
What This Means for Everyday Users
For most people, the immediate effect is simply a clearer timeline. The NASA Artemis plan points to a rehearsal flight next year and a landing attempt in 2028, so space fans have dates to watch.
If you follow the programme, keep an eye on three things: whether Artemis III stays on track for next summer, whether SpaceX completes a large propellant transfer, and whether New Glenn returns to flight. Each outcome will indicate whether the 2028 target is realistic. Start by tracking official NASA updates closely and often, since dates in this programme have already moved.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When does NASA plan to land astronauts on the Moon?
In 2028, on Artemis IV, near the Moon’s south pole.
2. What is Artemis III?
A crewed rehearsal in low Earth orbit planned for next year, testing rendezvous and docking with landers from both Blue Origin and SpaceX.
3. Which company will make the first landing under the NASA Artemis plan?
NASA has not named one. Both providers are planning lunar landings in 2028.
4. What are the main risks?
Artemis III is about 90 days behind, SpaceX has not transferred propellant at this scale, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn has not flown since a mishap in May.
Conclusion
The reworked NASA Artemis plan trades a single fixed path for flexibility, keeping Starship and Blue Moon both in contention. Artemis III will be the first real test, and the unproven steps ahead mean the 2028 goal still carries risk. NASA is betting that two options give it the best chance of success. Expect more detail, and possibly more changes, as the rehearsal flight draws closer.