Artemis Program Update: What Comes After Artemis II

Artemis II marked a historic milestone: the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The four-person crew aboard Orion successfully completed a lunar flyby, validating life support systems, navigation, and communication capabilities that are prerequisites for everything that follows. But Artemis II was always the prologue. The real story of the Artemis program — crewed lunar landings, the Gateway orbital station, commercial surface operations, and the eventual establishment of a sustained human presence on the Moon — begins now. Here is where things stand and what comes next.

Artemis III: The First Crewed Landing

Artemis III is the mission that defines the program's ambition: the first crewed lunar landing since 1972 and the first to put a woman and a person of color on the lunar surface. The mission architecture is substantially more complex than Apollo:

• Orion + SLS: The crew launches aboard Orion on the Space Launch System to a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon.
• Starship HLS: SpaceX's Human Landing System — a lunar-optimized variant of Starship — pre-positions in NRHO. This is a fully reusable lander that is significantly larger than the Apollo Lunar Module, capable of delivering approximately 100 metric tons of payload to the lunar surface.
• Crew transfer: The Orion crew transfers to Starship HLS in NRHO, descends to the lunar surface for a planned surface stay of approximately 6.5 days, then ascends back to NRHO for rendezvous with Orion and return to Earth.

The current target date for Artemis III is mid-to-late 2027, though this depends on several development milestones that have not yet been achieved. The most significant dependencies are:

• Starship orbital refueling demonstration: Starship HLS requires multiple orbital refueling operations before it can depart for the Moon. SpaceX must demonstrate reliable propellant transfer in orbit — a capability that has never been attempted at this scale. Initial propellant transfer tests are planned for 2026, with a full-scale demonstration required before the crewed landing.
• Uncrewed Starship HLS demonstration landing: Before a crewed landing, SpaceX must perform an uncrewed Starship HLS landing on the lunar surface, demonstrating precision landing, surface operations, and ascent.
• Spacesuit readiness: Axiom Space is developing the next-generation Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) spacesuits for Artemis III. The suits must be qualified for lunar surface operations including dust mitigation, thermal management, and extended EVA duration.

Artemis IV: Gateway Assembly Begins

Artemis IV, currently planned for approximately 2028, adds a transformative element: the Lunar Gateway. This mission will deliver the first modules of Gateway to NRHO, establishing a permanent orbital outpost that fundamentally changes the logistics of lunar operations.

Gateway Architecture

• PPE (Power and Propulsion Element): Built by Maxar Technologies, the PPE provides solar electric propulsion, power generation, and communications for the station. It uses advanced Hall-effect thrusters that are significantly more efficient than chemical propulsion for station-keeping in NRHO.
• HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost): Built by Northrop Grumman, HALO provides living quarters, docking ports, and command-and-control capabilities. It is a compact habitation module designed for periodic crew visits rather than permanent habitation.
• International modules: ESA is contributing the I-HAB (International Habitation Module) and the ESPRIT refueling module. The Canadian Space Agency is providing the Canadarm3 robotic arm for Gateway. JAXA (Japan) is contributing life support components and may provide a habitation module.

Gateway serves as a staging point for lunar surface access, enabling reusable landers to shuttle between NRHO and the lunar surface without requiring a new SLS launch for each mission. It also supports science in the deep space environment and provides a testbed for Mars transit technologies. Track Gateway development and cislunar economic activity on the SpaceNexus Cislunar Ecosystem dashboard.

Commercial Lunar Landers: Beyond SpaceX

NASA has deliberately structured the Artemis program to create a competitive commercial ecosystem for lunar access, not a SpaceX monopoly. The key commercial lander programs include:

• SpaceX Starship HLS (Option A and Option B): SpaceX holds both the initial Artemis III contract and a subsequent contract for sustained lunar landing services. Total contract value exceeds $4 billion.
• Blue Origin National Team (HLS Sustaining): Blue Origin was selected for the Sustaining Lander Services contract, providing a second human-rated lunar lander. The Blue Moon Mark 2 lander uses BE-7 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines and is designed for the Artemis V mission and beyond. The team includes Lockheed Martin, Draper, Boeing, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics.
• Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS): NASA's CLPS program provides fixed-price contracts to commercial companies for delivering science payloads and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. Companies including Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, Firefly Aerospace, and Draper have CLPS task orders. These uncrewed landers are pathfinders for the commercial lunar economy.

Artemis V and Beyond: Toward Sustained Presence

The Artemis program's long-term architecture envisions a transition from sortie missions (short surface stays) to sustained presence (weeks to months on the surface). Key elements of this transition include:

Surface Infrastructure

• Artemis Base Camp: NASA's concept for a permanent lunar surface habitat includes a pressurized rover for extended traverses, surface habitation modules, and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) systems for extracting water from lunar regolith. The base camp is currently notional, with specific hardware procurement expected to begin in the late 2020s.
• Power systems: Surface operations at the lunar south pole — where permanently shadowed craters may contain water ice — require power systems that can operate through the long lunar night (approximately 14 Earth days). NASA has funded development of a fission surface power system that could provide 40 kilowatts of continuous electrical power.
• ISRU: The ability to extract water from lunar ice and convert it to drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket propellant is the linchpin of long-term sustainability. Several ISRU technology demonstrations are planned for CLPS missions in the 2026-2028 timeframe.

International and Commercial Partnerships

The Artemis Accords — now signed by over 45 nations — provide the diplomatic framework for international cooperation on the Moon. Key partner contributions beyond Gateway modules include:

• ESA: European Large Logistics Lander (EL3) for cargo delivery, lunar surface sample return capability, and astronaut participation in surface missions.
• JAXA: Pressurized lunar rover (with Toyota), enabling extended surface traverses up to 10,000 km from base camp.
• CSA: Lunar utility vehicle and robotic systems for surface operations.
• Commercial habitat developers: Companies including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and several startups are developing commercial lunar habitation concepts under NASA-funded studies.

Procurement Opportunities

The Artemis program represents a multi-decade procurement pipeline spanning virtually every space technology domain. Key procurement areas where opportunities exist for new entrants include:

• Lunar surface mobility: Pressurized and unpressurized rovers, with NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle contract already awarded to a team led by Intuitive Machines.
• ISRU technology: Water extraction, electrolysis, and propellant storage systems. NASA has funded multiple Phase I and Phase II SBIRs in this area.
• Communications infrastructure: LunaNet, NASA's planned lunar communications and navigation architecture, will require relay satellites, surface transceivers, and network management systems.
• Power systems: Both solar and nuclear surface power, including radioisotope power systems for equipment operating in permanently shadowed regions.
• Construction and manufacturing: Lunar regolith-based construction (sintering, 3D printing) for landing pads, radiation shielding, and eventually habitation structures.
• Life support: Closed-loop environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) for extended surface stays, including waste processing and food production.

Follow Artemis program developments and lunar program procurement opportunities on the SpaceNexus Ignition Tracker, and explore the cislunar economy landscape — including commercial lunar services, Gateway supply chain, and international partner activities — on the Cislunar Ecosystem page.