Humanity's path to returning to the Moon: all milestones of the Artemis program from the first test mission to the Artemis IV landing.
First flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule. Uncrewed mission to test all systems.
CompletedOrion performed a close flyby of the Moon at just 130 km from the surface, entering a distant retrograde orbit.
CompletedOrion returned to Earth after 25.5 days in space, traveling over 1.4 million miles. Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
CompletedSpaceX catches the Super Heavy booster for the first time using the launch tower's mechanical arms ("Mechazilla"). A historic moment for space reusability.
CompletedSpaceX continues Starship testing, the vehicle that will serve as the lunar lander for Artemis IV. 13 integrated flight tests completed (IFT-1 through Flight 13). IFT-12, debut of Starship V3 with Raptor 3 engines, launched May 22, 2026 from Starbase's new Pad 2: Super Heavy booster lost on descent due to engine malfunctions, upper stage reached the planned suborbital trajectory and deployed 22 Starlink simulators from the new dispenser. On July 24, 2026 Flight 13 (second V3 flight) marked the first soft, intact splashdown of the upper stage in the Indian Ocean. Orbital refueling demo expected mid-2026.
In ProgressAxiom Space develops new spacesuits for lunar extravehicular activities. Critical Design Sync Review completed February 2026. Over 850 hours of pressurized testing. First flight unit components arriving, assembly expected spring 2026.
In DevelopmentThe HALO habitation module (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), built by Thales Alenia Space, arrives in the United States at Northrop Grumman's facility for final assembly before launch.
CompletedSLS rocket stacking for Artemis II completed at Kennedy Space Center's VAB: boosters, core stage, upper stage, and Orion capsule with launch abort system.
CompletedNASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announces major restructuring: Artemis III becomes a LEO test mission, lunar landing moves to Artemis IV. EUS, SLS Block 1B/2, and Mobile Launcher 2 cancelled. SLS standardized on Block 1.
AnnouncedAt the "Ignition" event, NASA announces a $20 billion plan to build a permanent base at the lunar South Pole by 2030: habitats, pressurized rovers, and nuclear power. Lunar Gateway development paused to redirect resources to surface infrastructure. The PPE module will be repurposed for the SR-1 Freedom Mars mission.
May 26, 2026 update: NASA details an investment of nearly $1 billion for the first base vehicles, awarding contracts to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost for the Lunar Terrain Vehicles (LTV). Target: sustained human presence on the Moon by 2032, with a base spanning hundreds of square miles, hopping drones, and advanced rovers.
AnnouncedLaunched from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 PM EDT. Four astronauts (3 NASA + 1 CSA) traveling to the Moon: the first crewed deep space mission since 1972.
Crew: Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen (CSA)
CompletedClose flyby of the Moon completed at about 6,500 km from the surface. The crew surpassed Apollo 13's distance record from Earth (252,757 miles). Historic record for the farthest human journey from Earth.
CompletedReturn to Earth after approximately 10 days in space. Perfect splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California, at 8:07 PM EDT. Crew recovered by USS John P. Murtha, all in excellent condition. Total distance traveled: approximately 694,000 miles (1.1 million km).
CompletedThe mobile launcher returns to the Vehicle Assembly Building from Pad 39B after the Artemis II launch, for inspections, repairs, and preparation for integration with SLS and Orion for Artemis III.
CompletedThe upper section of the SLS core stage for Artemis III, built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, arrives at Kennedy Space Center aboard the Pegasus barge (departed April 20, offloaded April 28). Rocket integration for the next mission begins.
CompletedWithin a few weeks, numerous new countries sign the Artemis Accords, the framework of principles for peaceful and cooperative lunar exploration. Recent signatories include Jordan (April 23, 63rd nation), Ireland (May 4), Paraguay (May 7), Botswana (June 25, 68th nation and sixth African country), Serbia (July 16, 69th nation), and Mauritius (July 17, 70th nation and seventh African country). The international partner network continues to grow in support of the program.
OngoingMaiden flight of Starship Version 3 (Booster 19 + Ship 39), 124 meters tall, powered by the new Raptor 3 engines, launched from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. The Super Heavy booster suffered engine malfunctions during descent and was lost off the Gulf coast. The upper stage, compensating with extended burn times, reached the planned suborbital trajectory and deployed 22 Starlink satellite simulators from the new dispenser, with two units equipped with cameras to inspect the heat shield. A key step toward the Block 3 capabilities required for HLS.
Completed (partial)Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket suffers a catastrophic failure during a hot fire test at Launch Complex 36 of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The explosion occurs while engines are being ignited for the ground test. The event raises questions about Blue Origin's roadmap and the Blue Moon lander planned for Artemis V. On July 24, 2026 NASA and Blue Origin agreed to conduct hot fire tests of the GS2 second stage (two liquid hydrogen/oxygen BE-3U engines) at the B-2 test stand of Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, with testing from fall 2026, to get the program moving again after the anomaly.
AnomalyEight solid rocket booster segments for the Space Launch System (SLS), destined for Artemis III, depart Northrop Grumman's Railyard Shipping Facility in Corinne, Utah, bound for Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The segments will form the twin five-segment boosters that generate over 75% of total thrust at liftoff and will be stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building for integration of the next mission's rocket.
August 2026: the left and right forward aerodynamic sections (nose cones) for the two boosters also arrive at the Vehicle Assembly Building, to be integrated to reduce drag and ensure a smoother passage through the atmosphere. Commenting on assembly progress, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he is "extremely confident" that Artemis III will fly in 2027.
CompletedNASA announced the four astronauts for the Artemis III mission: Randy Bresnik (Commander), Luca Parmitano (Pilot, ESA — the first Italian on an Artemis mission and former first Italian ISS commander), Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas (Mission Specialists), with Bob Hines as backup. The mission, targeting launch in 2027, will test rendezvous and docking in Earth orbit with the commercial landers (Starship and Blue Moon Mark 2), a crucial preparatory step for the Artemis IV lunar landing.
CompletedSpaceX completes the thirteenth integrated Starship test flight, the second Version 3 flight (Ship 40 + Booster 20), launching from Pad 2 at Starbase in Texas. For the first time the upper stage performs a soft splashdown and remains intact, floating in the Indian Ocean; drones sent to inspect it find the ceramic heat-shield tiles in excellent condition after enduring temperatures up to ~1,430°C on reentry. The Super Heavy booster makes a controlled splashdown off the Texas Gulf coast. The result opens the way to orbital flights and to catching the upper stage in flight with the launch-tower arms, a crucial step toward the Block 3 capabilities required for Starship HLS.
CompletedInside the FAST (Final Assembly and System Testing) cell of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center, a crane lifts Orion's crew module and lowers it little by little onto the European service module: after several hours of work overseen by dozens of specialists, the two modules become one spacecraft. This is the first complete Orion built for Artemis III, which will carry Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas to test rendezvous and docking in Earth orbit with test articles of the SpaceX and Blue Origin commercial landers. The service module, provided by ESA, will power and propel Orion throughout the mission.
CompletedIn High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, technicians begin installing the four RS-25 engines in the engine section of the Artemis III SLS core stage, after that section was joined to the upper four-fifths of the stage. Each RS-25 weighs about 7,700 pounds and produces nearly 500,000 pounds of thrust, firing continuously for more than eight minutes and consuming propellant at roughly 1,500 gallons per second. The installation runs alongside the integration of propulsion and electrical systems throughout the core stage.
September 2026: all four RS-25 engines are now installed on Core Stage-3, while stacking of the twin five-segment solid rocket boosters continues inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, with four of five segments already mated and teams working on the forward center segments. NASA is targeting an Artemis III launch no earlier than June 2027, aiming to complete core stage and booster stacking in the following months and roll the rocket out to the pad for tanking tests before the end of 2026. In parallel, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel reviewed post-flight data from Artemis II, confirming that the modified reentry profile reduced the Avcoat heat shield char loss observed after Artemis I.
CompletedPresident Donald J. Trump awards the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four Artemis II crew members — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen (CSA) — in a ceremony at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston at 11 a.m. EDT, with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in attendance. The award, the highest U.S. honor for spaceflight, recognises the ten-day mission around the Moon completed on April 10, 2026, during which the crew reached 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the human spaceflight distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
CompletedSpaceX will test propellant transfer between two Starships in Earth orbit, a critical technology for refueling Starship HLS before the lunar landing. Depends on Block 3 upgrades introduced with IFT-12. Originally expected in mid-2026, the demo has not yet taken place: it involves a first phase of extended orbital loiter to verify propellant containment, followed by an actual ship-to-ship transfer.
PlannedLEO test mission: rendezvous and docking with one or both commercial landers (SpaceX Starship HLS and Blue Origin Blue Moon). AxEMU spacesuit testing, integrated life support and communications systems validation.
PlannedFirst Artemis lunar landing and first since Apollo 17 in 1972. Two astronauts will descend to the lunar South Pole aboard Starship HLS. Includes the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.
PlannedSecond Artemis landing using Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander. Astronauts will reach the lunar South Pole directly from the Orion spacecraft.
PlannedFirst nuclear-powered mission beyond Earth's gravitational influence. Uses PPE hardware (ex-Gateway) with a 20+ kW fission reactor. Will carry Ingenuity-class helicopters for scientific research on Mars.
PlannedAt least two landings per year with a permanent base at the lunar South Pole. Goal: habitats, pressurized rovers, nuclear power on the surface, and preparation for human missions to Mars.
FutureTechnologies and experience gained with Artemis will prepare humanity for the first human missions to Mars.
VisionThe dates shown are official NASA estimates and are subject to change based on technological development, testing, and other factors. This page is regularly updated with the most recent information.