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Artemis III
EventUS

Artemis III

Originally planned as first crewed lunar landing, now redesignated as LEO lander test.

Last refreshed: 2 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Why was Artemis III downgraded from a Moon landing?

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Follow Artemis II Moon Mission →
Common Questions
What happened to Artemis III?
In February 2026, Artemis III was redesignated from a crewed lunar landing to a low-Earth-orbit test of the Starship lander. The lunar landing objective moved to Artemis IV.Source: background
Why isn't Artemis III landing on the Moon?
NASA administrator Isaacman cancelled Block 1B and Block 2 SLS upgrades in February 2026, restructuring the manifest and redesignating Artemis III to a LEO test.Source: background
When will Artemis III launch?
Artemis III is targeting 2027 for a crewed low-Earth-orbit test of the Starship Human Landing System.Source: quick_facts
What will Artemis III actually do now?
It will test the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System in low Earth orbit with crew, rather than flying to the Moon.Source: quick_facts
Why did NASA change the Artemis III mission?
The cancellation of SLS Block 1B upgrades left Artemis III without the vehicle capability needed for a direct lunar landing. A LEO test was adopted to preserve the Starship HLS development path.Source: background

Background

Artemis III was redesignated in February 2026 from the first crewed lunar landing to a low-Earth-orbit lander test, a significant programme change driven by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman's decision to cancel Block 1B and Block 2 SLS upgrades. The change has not yet received full congressional scrutiny.

Originally designed to land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon using SpaceX Starship HLS, Artemis III now targets 2027 for a crewed test of the Starship lander in low Earth orbit. The lunar surface objective has passed to Artemis IV, now targeting 2028.

The redesignation effectively delays the US return to the lunar surface by at least a year. It represents the most consequential single restructuring of the Artemis programme since SLS was selected in 2011, and it shifts the first-landing mission to a flight with even less schedule margin before China's 2030 target.