The next crewed Moon landing

status: open · updated Oct 29, 2026

Definition of done

Done when astronauts from any nation or agency land on the lunar surface and at least one steps out onto it. A crewed flyby or lunar orbit without landing, such as Artemis II, does not count, and neither does an Earth-orbit lander test like the planned Artemis III. Uncrewed lander demos and robotic landings also do not count, though they are milestones on the way.

Where it stands

NASA still targets the next crewed Moon landing for 2028 on Artemis IV, whose revised plan would use two landers on one mission; NASA will not pick between SpaceX and Blue Origin landers until Earth-orbit tests are done. China aims to land taikonauts by 2030 using two launches and a lunar-orbit rendezvous. Artemis III, planned for summer 2027, is a 14-day Earth-orbit test in which Orion would dock with both landers before a lander is picked; its SLS core stage is stacked between boosters on the Mobile Launcher; NASA says Orion's heat shield performed as expected on Artemis II. Uncrewed lander demos are targeted for late 2027 to early 2028, a dispute continues over how many Starship refueling launches a landing needs, and a year-end SLS tanking test is the next hardware gate. Starship Flight 15 is targeted for no earlier than November 12 to try catching both stages, while SpaceX prepares a Florida launch from Kennedy's 39A and a Starbase cabin mockup supports human-in-the-loop testing.

Milestones

• 2026-10-29: Artemis III's SLS core stage was stacked between its two boosters on the Mobile Launcher. — space — Artemis III

• 2026-10-23: NASA set the landing campaign: Artemis III as a 14-day Earth-orbit mission docking Orion with both landers, the first images of the Starship lander's crew cabin, and an extended Centaur upper stage replacing the dropped Exploration Upper Stage. — space — Artemis hardware cadence: II fix validated, III stacking, IV flow

• 2026-10-15: NASA confirmed the Orion heat shield performed as expected on Artemis II's crewed trip around the Moon, clearing a key concern for later crewed missions. — space — Artemis hardware cadence: II fix validated, III stacking, IV flow

• 2026-09-30: Both Artemis III SLS boosters were fully stacked at Kennedy Space Center. — space — Artemis hardware cadence: II fix validated, III stacking, IV flow

• 2026-09-28: Starship Flight 14 reached orbit and deployed 26 Starlink satellites, a first orbit for the vehicle behind one of NASA's two crewed landers, despite engine problems that ended the mission early. — space — Starship cadence: Starbase + Cape pad race

Related claims

• NASA — a crewed lunar landing on Artemis IV in 2028 (said 2026-09-07; due by 2028-12-31): pending.
• Jared Isaacman (NASA) — Starship flying about monthly or faster through the end of 2026 would give NASA confidence in Artemis schedules (said 2026-08-14; due by 2026-12-31): pending.
• SpaceX/Musk — Starship reaching a weekly or twice-weekly launch cadence in 2027, cut from an earlier daily forecast (said 2026-10-01; review by 2027-12-31): pending.
• Blue Origin — New Glenn, the rocket for its Blue Moon lander, flies again before the end of 2026 (said 2026-06-02; due by 2026-12-31): pending.
• NASA — SpaceX's two-Starship propellant-transfer demo, one launch from Starbase and one from Kennedy, in early 2027 (said 2026-10-23; review by 2027-06-30): pending.
• NASA — an uncrewed Starship landing on the Moon by the end of 2027 (said 2026-10-23; due by 2027-12-31): pending.
• NASA — the first crewed landing on Blue Origin's Mk2 lander in the second half of 2028 (said 2026-10-23; review by 2028-12-31): pending.
• NASA — the choice between the ICPS and the stretched Centaur as the SLS upper stage, around summer 2027 (said 2026-10-23; review by 2027-09-30): pending.
• Jared Isaacman (NASA) — a rover and the first Moon-base elements on the surface before the 2028 crewed landing (said 2026-10-23; review by 2028-12-31): pending.
• Jared Isaacman (NASA) — Starship flights potentially biweekly, trending to weekly in 2027 (said 2026-10-23; review by 2027-12-31): pending.

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