NASA Delays First Crewed U.S. Moon Landing in Half a Century to 2026

The second and third missions in the space agency’s Artemis program—which seeks to return Americans to the moon—were each delayed nearly one year.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, January 09, 2024 at 06:21 PM ET

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The crew of NASA’s Artemis II moon mission, which was delayed from late 2024 to September 2025 (clockwise from left): Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, and Reid Wiseman. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA has officially delayed the Artemis II crewed lunar orbit mission to September 2025 and the Artemis III moon landing mission to September 2026.
The delays stem from critical safety concerns identified during the Artemis I flight, including issues with the Orion spacecraft's heat shield, life support system, and batteries.
Further delays are due to the need for more development time for key Artemis III components, such as SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System, next-generation spacesuits, and challenges related to in-space propellant transfer.
NASA emphasizes a "safety first" approach, stating missions will launch "when ready," with the revised schedule reflecting a collaborative effort with industry partners to ensure mission success as part of the broader Moon to Mars program.

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U.S. efforts to return Americans to the moon for the first time in half a century have suffered a setback.

During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, NASA officials announced that the Artemis II and Artemis III moon missions—planned for this year and next, respectively—will be pushed to September 2025 and September 2026. Artemis II is expected to put NASA astronauts in lunar orbit, while Artemis III aims to land them on the moon, where they would become the first humans to visit the lunar south pole.