NASA is pushing back its plans for a Moon landing

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

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

The Artemis II mission, scheduled for this year, has faced a string of issues during testing over recent weeks, delaying its launch until no earlier than April. Artemis II is intended to orbit the Moon — if it’s successful, it will be the first time humans visit lunar orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.