NASA plans 2028 moon landing with SpaceX and Blue Origin

NASA has enlisted Blue Origin alongside SpaceX to land astronauts on the moon in 2028 as part of the Artemis program.

NASA accelerates Artemis timeline amid China competition. Director General Jared Isaacman announced at a Washington press conference on October 23 that the program aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028. The agency will conduct Artemis III next summer as a 14-to-17-day Earth-orbit test of successive docking procedures between the Orion spacecraft and prototype lunar landers from both companies.

The test marks the first time NASA will attempt consecutive docking of three spacecraft. Blue Origin will launch a prototype Blue Moon Mark 2 lander into a 439-kilometer circular low Earth orbit. NASA will follow days later with the crewed Orion capsule on an SLS rocket, which will adjust from an initial 29-by-1,806-kilometer elliptical orbit to complete the maneuvers.

Contract changes expand private-company roles. NASA renewed human landing systems and cargo transport contracts with both SpaceX and Blue Origin earlier this year. SpaceX's Starship was previously assigned to Artemis III and IV while Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2 was slated for Artemis V; the revised contracts now involve both firms in the Artemis III orbital test.

Artemis program manager Jeremy Parsons said the Earth-orbit mission is designed to reduce risk before crewed lunar operations. He noted that launching three spacecraft separately and testing their joint operation is an approach NASA has never attempted before.

Schedule shift follows launch-vehicle setbacks. NASA originally intended to attempt a crewed landing with Artemis III after Artemis II but revised the plan so that Artemis IV in 2028 would handle the crewed lunar landing after fuel leaks and helium-flow problems delayed the SLS rocket. The 2027 orbital test is now intended to prepare for the later landing attempt.