IG-26-004
March 2026 NASA OIG audit finding Starship HLS at least two years late and with unresolved safety gaps.
Last refreshed: 17 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does NASA's inspector general say is missing from the plan to land on the Moon?
- Is SpaceX's Starship Moon lander ready for Artemis?
- No. NASA's OIG audit IG-26-004 (March 2026) found Starship HLS is at least two years behind schedule and has unresolved safety gaps including tipping risk and a manual-control dispute with NASA.Source: briefing
- What happens if NASA astronauts get stranded on the Moon?
- IG-26-004 found NASA has no crew rescue capability for astronauts stranded on the lunar surface or in space. NASA evaluated contingency plans but no operational rescue capability exists.Source: briefing
- Why was Artemis III changed to a docking test?
- Artemis III was redesignated in February 2026 from the first crewed lunar landing to an Earth-orbit docking test because Starship HLS is not ready, as confirmed by OIG audit IG-26-004.Source: briefing
Background
IG-26-004, published by the NASA Office of Inspector General on 10 March 2026, found that Starship HLS has slipped at least two years from its contract timeline for Artemis III. The audit also found NASA has no capability to rescue a crew stranded on the lunar surface or in space and evaluated the adequacy of plans for such a contingency.
The report covers three safety gaps: lunar-surface tipping risk for Starship HLS on uneven regolith, crew egress difficulty given the vehicle's height and the lack of a dedicated rescue plan, and an unresolved manual-control dispute between NASA and SpaceX over who has authority during terminal descent. Artemis III was redesignated in February 2026 from the first crewed lunar landing to an Earth orbit docking test precisely because Starship HLS was not ready.
IG-26-004 is the primary public record for the Starship HLS programme's structural delays and the safety issues that follow from them. It precedes the Artemis II mission by a month and its findings are directly relevant to whether Artemis IV, which requires a functional Starship HLS for an actual lunar surface landing, can proceed on any credible schedule.
