NASA accelerated its Moon landing plan: Target is 2028 with Artemis 4

NASA is accelerating its Moon landing plan. Artemis 3 will launch next summer, while Artemis 4 aims to land astronauts on the south pole of the Moon in 2028.

NASA is accelerating its Moon landing plan. The agency's director, Jared Isaacman, confirmed this in a major speech at the Kennedy Space Center. He also said that the goal is to land astronauts on the Moon surface before the end of Donald Trump's second term as president. Thus, the agency tightened the calendar of the Moon program.

How will the NASA Moon landing schedule work?

Accordingly, the Artemis 3 mission will be launched next summer. The mission will rehearse docking with the lunar lander in Earth orbit. Additionally, docking, that is, connecting two vehicles to each other in space, will be tested here in advance. So, the first step of humans on the lunar surface is left to Artemis 4.

Then it will be Artemis 4's turn. This mission is aimed to land humans in the south polar region of the Moon in 2028. The team will conduct a week-long scientific expedition there.

Isaacman emphasized that acceleration is not achieved by sacrificing safety. For him, the payoff comes from reducing bureaucratic inertia and endless meetings. The manager also compared today's pace with the past. NASA took nine months from Apollo 7's ocean landing to Apollo 11's historic Moon landing. This comparison shows that the current pace is based on a historical example. However, the plan to establish a base where people will live at the south pole of the Moon is unique in history.

Uncertainties ahead of the calendar

The biggest question mark of the plan is SpaceX's super heavy class rocket Starship. The rocket recently completed its first orbital flight. However, the flight was interrupted due to an engine failure. Moreover, the orbital refueling of the spacecraft, that is, refueling in space, has not yet been demonstrated. Therefore, Starship's preparation remains the biggest source of uncertainty for the schedule.

Additionally, NASA has not yet made the final decision on the lunar lander. The lunar lander is defined as the vehicle that will carry astronauts to the surface. The agency has not made a definitive choice among the options offered by SpaceX and Blue Origin. So the fate of the NASA Moon landing plan seems to depend on Starship's subsequent flights and this decision.

What Did Astronaut Rubio Say?

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, assigned to the Artemis 3 crew, described the calendar as "incredibly ambitious." However, he added that one should not bet against America. Rubio's words show that the schedule is difficult within the team as well.

The agency continues to shorten planning cycles. Thus, it aims to meet the politically important date and initiate a period of permanent presence on the Moon.

The first concrete step for NASA's Moon landing schedule is the launch of Artemis 3 next summer. Artemis 4 plans to land astronauts on the south pole of the Moon in 2028. However, the lunar lander decision has not been announced yet.