NASA Redesigns Artemis III as 2027 Orbital Test, Delaying Moon Landing to Artemis IV

(From 2L to R) NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, and Jeremy Parsons, NASA's Artemis program manager, speak during a press conference on the Artemis lunar program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 23, 2026. During the news conference, officials discussed details about NASA's Artemis III mission next year which will send four astronauts to low Earth orbit to test critical systems needed for future lunar landings. (Credit: Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP via Getty Images)

The Briefing

• NASA has redesigned Artemis III as a 14–17 day low Earth orbit test for summer 2027, where four astronauts will dock Orion with test versions of Blue Origin's Blue Moon and SpaceX's Starship—not land on the Moon.
• The actual crewed American Moon landing is now assigned to Artemis IV, targeting the lunar South Pole in 2028, aiming to beat China's stated goal of reaching the Moon before 2030.
• As of October 23, 2026, NASA confirmed hardware is on track for a year-end tanking rehearsal—a critical pressure test before the 2027 mission launches from Kennedy Space Center.