NASA is pushing back its plans for a Moon landing | The Verge

Skip to main contentThe homepageThe homepageNavigation DrawerLogin / Sign UpcloseSubscribeComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...ScienceNewsSpaceNASA is pushing back its plans for a Moon landingThe agency will no longer attempt to land on the Moon on Artemis III, delaying the landing until 2028 on Artemis IV.The agency will no longer attempt to land on the Moon on Artemis III, delaying the landing until 2028 on Artemis IV.by Stevie BonifieldFeb 27, 2026, 11:11 PM UTCPhoto: Joel Kowsky / NASA via Getty ImagesStevie Bonifield is a news writer covering all things consumer tech. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI.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.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Stevie BonifieldNASANewsScienceSpaceMost PopularMost PopularPhones are going to get weird next weekNetflix walks away from its deal to buy Warner Bros. after Paramount came back with a better offerWhy no magnets in Galaxy S26? Samsung R&D chief explainsBurger King will use AI to check if employees say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’The Trump phone sure looks a lot like this HTC handsetAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adMore in ScienceHuel tries to solve the ‘burden’ of eatingUltrahuman’s new flagship smart ring has a 15-day batteryTrump claims tech companies will sign deals next week to pay for their own power supplyTrump is making coal plants even dirtier as AI demands more energyAmerica is at risk of becoming an automotive backwaterThe latest skincare fad is rubbing salmon sperm on your faceHuel tries to solve the ‘burden’ of eatingVictoria SongFeb 27Ultrahuman’s new flagship smart ring has a 15-day batteryJess WeatherbedFeb 27Trump claims tech companies will sign deals next week to pay for their own power supplyJustine CalmaFeb 25Trump is making coal plants even dirtier as AI demands more energyJustine CalmaFeb 20America is at risk of becoming an automotive backwaterAndrew J. HawkinsFeb 20The latest skincare fad is rubbing salmon sperm on your faceVictoria SongFeb 20Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adTop StoriesFeb 27Smuggling podcasts into a Burmese prison8:00 AM UTCTenways nearly perfects the shareable city e-bikeFeb 27Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to $110 billion Paramount merger43 minutes agoXiaomi’s Leica Leitzphone mostly earns the nameTwo hours agoA legendary weather app makes a comebackFeb 27We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robots