Watchdog: NASA ‘Ruled Out’ Crew Rescue Capability for Artemis Moon Landing

Audit determines that the space agency has no way of saving astronauts stranded on the moon.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A composite image of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander (left) and SpaceX’s Starship lander on the lunar surface. [Credit: Blue Origin/SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Artemis program currently lacks the capability to rescue astronauts stranded on the moon or in space, a critical safety gap highlighted by an audit from its Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
The OIG audit revealed several significant risks, including potential delays in Human Landing System (HLS) delivery, limitations in crew survival analyses, unrepresentative uncrewed test missions, and concerns about the absence of essential manual controls in lander designs.
Despite these safety concerns, NASA is overhauling its Artemis program with plans for two crewed lunar landings in 2028, aiming to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.

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NASA earlier this month overhauled its Artemis moon mission program, announcing plans to attempt not just one but two crewed lunar landings in 2028. However, should the astronauts become stranded on the moon, the space agency has no way to bring them home, according to an audit by its Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

Published Tuesday, the 50-page report revealed that NASA has “ruled out” the development of crew rescue capabilities for the early crewed Artemis missions. In other words, “should the astronauts encounter a life-threatening emergency in space or on the lunar surface, NASA does not have the capability to rescue the stranded crew,” the OIG audit reads.