Artemis programme
NASA programme to return humans to the Moon after Apollo.
Last refreshed: 4 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can a $93 billion programme beat China to the Moon when its own watchdog says the lander is two years late?
- How much does the Artemis programme cost?
- The NASA OIG estimates Artemis has cost $93 billion through 2025, with each SLS launch costing approximately $4 billion.Source: NASA OIG
- When is the next Artemis Moon landing?
- Artemis III, the first crewed landing attempt, targets 2028 at the earliest. The Starship HLS lander is at least two years behind schedule.Source: NASA
- What countries are in the Artemis programme?
- 61 nations have signed the Artemis Accords as of January 2026, though some have also signed onto China and Russia's rival ILRS framework.Source: NASA
- Is China ahead of NASA in the Moon race?
- China targets a 2030 crewed landing with hardware on schedule. Artemis III targets 2028 but its lander is two years late per NASA OIG audit.Source: NASA OIG / RAND
Background
The Artemis programme is NASA's initiative to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustained presence there, succeeding the Apollo programme that last sent astronauts to the lunar surface in 1972. Managed from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, it uses the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, with international partners including ESA, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency contributing hardware and crew.
Artemis II, launched in April 2026, is the programme's first crewed mission: a lunar flyby carrying four astronauts beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in 54 years. The programme has cost an estimated $93 billion through 2025 according to the NASA Office of Inspector General, at roughly $4 billion per SLS flight. Administrator Jared Isaacman restructured the programme in February 2026, cancelling SLS Block 1B and Block 2 upgrades and the Lunar Gateway station.
The programme sits at the intersection of science, politics, and industrial competition. Congress mandated $1.025 billion annually for SLS through FY2029 regardless of technical decisions, while China's rival crewed lunar programme targets a 2030 landing with purpose-built hardware that has not required the redesigns characterising Artemis.