NASA Administrator Says Artemis III Mission Slips 90 Days to Summer 2027

September 23, 2026 at 09:28 PM2 min

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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the Artemis III mission is about three months behind schedule, with the best-case launch now in summer 2027. The delay threatens NASA's plan for two lunar landings in 2028. Isaacman tied the program's pace directly to competition with China.

Key Facts

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Artemis III is about three months behind schedule, with the best-case launch in summer 2027.
The delay threatens NASA's plan for two lunar landings in 2028, leaving only one landing window at the end of 2028 if delays continue.
The Artemis III crew includes Randolph Bresnik, Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, and ESA pilot Luca Parmitano.
NASA has abandoned construction of the Gateway lunar orbital station in favor of a base on the Moon's south pole.

Artemis III Delay

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman disclosed the schedule slip in an internal letter published by NASA Watch and confirmed by the agency. The mission is now about three months behind, with the best-case launch in summer 2027. After a major program revision in February, Artemis III became an orbital mission rather than a landing. The four-person crew will practice docking the Orion spacecraft with lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin in Earth orbit. NASA now links the first real lunar landing to the Artemis IV and V missions.

China Competition

Isaacman wrote that maintaining the status quo is not a viable strategy in the lunar race with China. He stated that too much is at stake. If delays continue, NASA will have only one window for an astronaut landing at the end of 2028.

Lunar South Pole Base

NASA has definitively abandoned construction of the Gateway lunar orbital station. The agency now favors a base on the Moon's south pole. The region, about the size of Virginia, contains deep shadowed craters that may hold ancient water ice deposits. Water ice is considered critical for future autonomous astronaut operations without constant resupply from Earth.