NASA is pushing back its plans for a Moon landing

NASA announced in a news conference Friday that it is delaying its moon landing plans until Artemis IV in 2028. The Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027, was originally scheduled to attempt to land on the Moon, but will now be a test flight. NASA also says it is “increasing the cadence of its missions,” including adding a second test flight in 2027 and aiming for “at least one surface landing each year thereafter,” including the Artemis IV landing.

The overhaul of the Artemis launch schedule follows a report from NASA’s Aerospace Security Advisory Panel (ASAP) earlier this month, which highlighted serious safety risks related to NASA’s previous plans for future launches. ASAP was particularly concerned about Artemis III, which its report said had too many “cumulative technical, operational, and schedule risks associated with multiple novel objectives planned for a single mission.”

The Artemis II mission, planned for this year, has faced a series of problems during tests in recent weeks, delaying its launch until April at the earliest. Artemis II is intended to orbit the Moon. If successful, it will be the first time humans have visited lunar orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.