NASA Delays Artemis Lunar Missions, New Targets Set for 2026 and 2027

NASA has announced further delays to its Artemis program, pushing the mission to fly four astronauts around the moon to April 2026. The revised schedule comes amid an investigation into heat shield damage observed during a 2022 test flight and ongoing improvements to the spacecraft. In addition, the planned lunar landing by two astronauts has now been postponed to at least 2027.

Despite these setbacks, NASA remains determined to return astronauts to the lunar surface before China's planned 2030 landing. The agency has urged all Artemis contractors, including SpaceX, to meet the updated deadlines as it builds on lessons learned from the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s.