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, planning two crewed lunar landings by 2028, critically lacks a rescue capability for astronauts who might become stranded on the moon or in space.
An audit by NASA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) identifies significant safety shortcomings, including insufficient crew survival analyses and pre-landing demonstrations that are not fully representative of crewed missions.
The OIG also raises concerns about the potential waiver of essential manual controls for lunar landing systems, along with delays and unresolved technical challenges in the development of commercial Human Landing Systems (HLS).

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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.