The Artemis Program: NASA's Plan to Return Humans to the Moon
Artemis is NASA's program to return astronauts to the Moon. Here's the full mission architecture, timeline, and what it means for the space industry.
The Artemis program is NASA's flagship human spaceflight initiative: a multi-mission campaign to establish sustainable human presence on and around the Moon. Named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, Artemis aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
Mission Architecture
- SLS (Space Launch System): NASA's super-heavy lift rocket. Block 1 can deliver 27 metric tons to trans-lunar injection. Artemis I in 2022 made it the most powerful rocket ever to fly at the time; SpaceX's Starship has since surpassed it
- Orion: Crew capsule built by Lockheed Martin, with ESA providing the European Service Module. Carries 4 astronauts
- HLS (Human Landing System): Pathfinder versions of SpaceX's Starship HLS and Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2 dock with Orion on Artemis III's Earth-orbit test. NASA will choose which of the two lands the Artemis IV crew based on readiness
- Gateway (paused): A small station planned for lunar orbit, with modules from NASA, ESA, JAXA, and CSA. NASA paused it on March 24, 2026 and shifted to a south-pole Moon Base
Mission Timeline
- Artemis I (Nov 2022): Completed. Uncrewed Orion flight around the Moon, a 25.5 day mission testing all systems
- Artemis II (Apr 2026): Completed. First crewed Orion flight. 4 astronauts flew around the Moon without landing, first humans beyond LEO since 1972, and reached 252,756 miles from Earth, a new human record (NASA)
- Artemis III (2027; the NASA Administrator spoke of a summer 2027 launch on 23 Oct 2026): Restructured in February 2026 from a lunar landing into a crewed Earth-orbit test: Orion docks with SpaceX Starship HLS and Blue Origin Blue Moon pathfinders, rehearsing procedures for the landing to come
- Artemis IV (2028): First lunar landing since Apollo 17, near the lunar south pole, on whichever lander NASA judges ready
- Artemis V (by late 2028): Then landings about once a year, per NASA
Industry Impact
NASA says Artemis prime contractors have more than 2,700 suppliers across 47 US states, alongside international partners from the 78 nations that had signed the Artemis Accords as of October 2026. The program is driving development in areas including lunar rovers, surface habitats, ISRU (in-situ resource utilization), and cislunar communications infrastructure.
Track Artemis missions at SpaceNexus Mission Control.
What's next
Because this article is about the Moon.
Keep reading
- Live dataRace to the Moon tracker →Every lunar mission and dated promise, United States and China side by side.
- Live dataLaunch schedule →Upcoming launches by site and month, updated as dates move.
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