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 completed a lunar flyby, reaching 252,756 miles from Earth on April 6 (a new record for humans), before splashing down off San Diego at 8:07 pm EDT on April 10 (00:07 UTC on April 11), according to NASA. The flight validated 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, commercial surface operations, and a sustained human presence at the lunar south pole) begins now. Here is where things stand and what comes next (updated September 2026).

Artemis III: The Restructured Mission

In February 2026, NASA restructured Artemis III. Rather than sending a crew directly to the lunar surface, the agency judged that Starship HLS's development pace, orbital refueling in particular, had not caught up to a landing on the original schedule. Rather than let the whole program stall waiting on a single lander, NASA moved the milestone: Artemis III is now a crewed Earth-orbit demonstration, and the first crewed lunar landing since 1972 moves to Artemis IV.

• Orion + SLS: The crew still launches aboard Orion on the Space Launch System, but this time to Earth orbit rather than lunar orbit.
• Dual HLS docking rehearsal: In Earth orbit, Orion docks first with a Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 2 pathfinder (about two days) and then with a SpaceX Starship HLS pathfinder (about a day), rehearsing the rendezvous and docking that Artemis IV will need to actually put boots on the Moon. The whole mission lasts about two weeks.
• Crew: The Artemis III crew, announced June 9, 2026, is Commander Randy Bresnik, Pilot Luca Parmitano (ESA) and Mission Specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio. Parmitano is the first ESA astronaut assigned to an Artemis mission; Canada's Jeremy Hansen already flew on Artemis II.

NASA's target for Artemis III is 2027 (mid-2027 in its March 2026 architecture update; in April the Administrator told Congress of a late-2027 rendezvous), though this depends on several development milestones that have not yet been achieved. The most significant dependencies, for both Artemis III's demonstration and the Artemis IV landing that follows it, are:

• Starship orbital refueling demonstration: Starship HLS requires multiple orbital refueling operations before it can depart for the Moon. SpaceX must demonstrate reliable ship-to-ship propellant transfer in orbit. NASA's inspector general reported in March 2026 that the test, first planned for March 2025, had slipped to March 2026; as of September 2026 it had not been attempted. Starship first reached orbit on Flight 14 on September 28, 2026, SpaceX reports; that flight carried Starlink satellites and did not attempt propellant transfer.
• Uncrewed demonstration landing: Before any crew descends to the surface, the lander chosen for Artemis IV must perform an uncrewed landing on the Moon. For Starship, NASA's inspector general expected that demo to slip to the end of 2026 at the earliest (March 2026).
• Spacesuit readiness: Axiom Space is developing the AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit), derived from NASA's xEMU reference design, for lunar surface operations. The suits must be qualified for dust mitigation, thermal management, and extended EVA duration ahead of the Artemis IV landing.

Artemis IV: The First Crewed Landing

With the landing milestone moved off Artemis III, Artemis IV (planned for 2028, with NASA targeting early 2028) becomes the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17. Four astronauts fly Orion to lunar orbit and two descend to the lunar south pole region, the first boots on the Moon in over half a century. NASA has not yet chosen the lander: its March 2026 update says "lander readiness will determine which provider" carries the crew, SpaceX's Starship HLS or Blue Origin's Blue Moon. Artemis V follows "by late 2028", then landings about once a year (NASA).

What Happened to the Lunar Gateway

Earlier plans had the first landing missions also begin assembling the Lunar Gateway, a small station in lunar orbit. That is no longer the plan. On March 24, 2026, three weeks before this article first ran, NASA paused Gateway at its Ignition event and shifted to a phased Moon Base on the surface. GAO reports that NASA "plans to pause Gateway in its current form" and "repurpose applicable Gateway hardware" (GAO-26-108556).

• PPE (Power and Propulsion Element): Built by Lanteris Space Systems (formerly Maxar). It is reportedly being reused for SR-1 Freedom, a nuclear-electric spacecraft planned to launch before the end of 2028. This is reported, not confirmed by a NASA document we could read.
• HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost): Northrop Grumman's compact habitation module, designed for periodic crew visits. Its future depends on the repurposing decisions.
• International elements: ESA decided in June 2026 to carry its I-Hab module through critical design review; Canada's Canadarm3 is pivoting toward lunar-surface applications.
• Funding: Congress provided $2.6 billion for Gateway in July 2025. The FY2027 budget request proposes redirecting it to the lunar base; Congress has not yet acted.

Track the Moon Base, the Gateway pause 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 won the initial contract in April 2021 ($2.89 billion, for the landing then planned for Artemis III) and an option in November 2022 worth roughly $1 billion; NASA's inspector general put the contract at about $4.3 billion in its March 2026 report.
• Blue Origin National Team (HLS Sustaining): Blue Origin was selected in May 2023 ($3.4 billion, as announced by NASA; the inspector general's figure of about $3.1 billion excludes the cargo-lander portion), providing a second human-rated lunar lander. The Blue Moon Mark 2 lander uses BE-7 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines and was originally designed for the Artemis V mission; it is now also a candidate for the Artemis IV landing. 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

• Moon Base (formerly Artemis Base Camp): Unveiled at NASA's Ignition event on March 24, 2026 (about $20 billion over seven years, as reported from the presentation). Phase 1 (now-2028) brings robotic landings, lunar terrain vehicles and the Artemis IV landing; Phase 2 (2029-2032) power, communications and JAXA's pressurized rover; Phase 3 (2033 and beyond) Italian Space Agency habitats and a CSA utility vehicle for long-duration human stays (SpaceQ). The executive order behind it targets "initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030"; there is no official date for continuous occupation.
• 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's August 2025 fission surface power directive calls for a reactor of at least 100 kilowatts, ready for launch by early fiscal 2030.
• 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, signed by 76 nations as of September 2026, provide the diplomatic framework for international cooperation on the Moon. Key partner contributions include:

• ESA: The Orion European Service Module, the European Large Logistics Lander (EL3) for cargo delivery, and astronaut participation. Luca Parmitano flies on Artemis III.
• JAXA: Pressurized lunar rover (with Toyota) for extended surface traverses, in Moon Base Phase 2 (2029-2032).
• ASI (Italy): Multi-purpose Habitats for Moon Base Phase 3 (2033 and beyond).
• CSA: A Lunar Utility Vehicle for Phase 3, and Canadarm3, now pivoting to surface work.
• 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. NASA awarded its Lunar Terrain Vehicles on May 26, 2026 to Astrolab (CLV-1, $219 million) and Lunar Outpost (Pegasus, $220 million), both to be delivered by 2028; Intuitive Machines was not selected.
• 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 Moon Base Tracker, and explore the cislunar economy landscape (including commercial lunar services, the Gateway pause, and international partner activities) on the Cislunar Ecosystem page.