NASA Administrator Bill Nelson confirmed on Thursday that the agency’s Artemis program, aimed at returning astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, will face further delays. The next two planned Artemis missions, including the lunar landing, have been postponed.
The mission to send astronauts around the moon and back, originally set for 2024, has been delayed to April 2026. The follow-up mission, a planned lunar landing, is now expected to take place in 2027.
The Artemis program, initiated during the first term of President Donald Trump, is designed to return humans to the moon and establish a permanent lunar base, laying the groundwork for future human missions to Mars. NASA expects to spend approximately $93 billion on the program through 2025.
While significant progress has been made, Artemis has faced challenges, including delays and cost overruns. In 2022, NASA successfully completed the Artemis I mission, an uncrewed journey around the moon, with the Orion capsule performing a successful splashdown in the Pacific. This mission was the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, designed to launch humans into space, and marked the beginning of the Artemis program.
However, delays have continued with the Artemis II mission, which will carry astronauts around the moon without landing. Initially scheduled for 2024, this mission was pushed back to September 2025 and is now delayed further until April 2026. The Artemis III mission, originally slated for September 2026, will now take place in mid-2027.
The Artemis astronauts’ journey to the moon will involve a relay between multiple spacecraft. The mission will begin with a launch aboard the Orion capsule, followed by a transfer to SpaceX’s Starship system, which will carry astronauts to and from the lunar surface.
The United States is in a race with China to return astronauts to the moon, with both nations partnering with private companies for their space programs. The Artemis program, a key focus under Nelson’s leadership, relies heavily on SpaceX’s Starship rocket, and is seen as a stepping stone toward NASA’s long-term goal of landing humans on Mars.
The delays come at a time when space exploration is a central issue for both the U.S. and China, with private companies like SpaceX playing an increasingly significant role in achieving these ambitious goals.
