Over the span of a few short months in 2026, NASA’s Artemis III mission lost its original purpose, but gained a crew and some controversy over its composition.
In February 2026, as its predecessor Artemis II was experiencing launch delays, NASA announced the addition of a mission between Artemis II and the first Artemis lunar landing, originally set for Artemis III. This change meant Artemis III would no longer land at the lunar south pole.
