Overview
- Artemis III is repurposed for mid‑2027 to fly Orion with astronauts in low‑Earth orbit to rendezvous and dock with at least one commercial Human Landing System from SpaceX or Blue Origin and to evaluate new Axiom spacesuits.
- NASA now targets the first crewed lunar touchdown as Artemis IV in 2028, and officials say a second lunar mission that year remains possible.
- Planned upgrades to the Space Launch System upper stage are canceled as NASA moves to standardize on a Block‑1‑like configuration and target launches roughly every 10 months.
- The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel labeled the prior Artemis III plan high risk, and the overhaul also reflects concerns about the near‑term readiness of commercial lunar landers.
- Artemis II has been rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to fix a helium‑flow issue on the SLS upper stage, with NASA saying April is the earliest launch opportunity.