Artemis Program
NASA's flagship program to return humans to the Moon and establish sustained lunar presence. Artemis I (uncrewed) flew 1.4M miles around the Moon in 2022. Artemis II crew is in quarantine at KSC as of March 2026 for the first crewed lunar flyby. The program's architecture was restructured in late 2024 — Artemis III became an LEO lander demo, Artemis IV is the first landing, and Artemis V uses Blue Origin's lander. Over 60 nations signed the Artemis Accords.
Budget
$7.8B (FY2026) + $6.7B supplemental through FY2032 for Orion/Gateway/SLS
Timeline
2022–2030s
Key Milestones
Artemis I — uncrewed SLS/Orion flew 1.4M miles around Moon (25.5-day mission)
2022 — Nov
Artemis II rocket rolled to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center
2025 — Jan
Artemis II crew enters quarantine; wet dress rehearsal underway
2026 — Mar
Artemis II launch — first crewed Orion flight, 10-day lunar flyby
2026 — Q2
Artemis III — LEO demo mission testing SpaceX & Blue Origin landers
2027
Artemis IV — first crewed lunar surface landing (SpaceX Starship HLS)
2028 — Early
Artemis V — second landing using Blue Origin lander; Gateway assembly begins
2028 — Late
Annual cadence of crewed lunar missions targeted
2029
Contractors
Sources
- nasa.gov/artemis
- congress.gov/crs-product/IF11643