NASA discusses 2027 Artemis III mission and goal of a Moon surface return by 2028

NASA said on Oct. 23 that agency leaders were sharing updates on the following year's Artemis III mission and plans to return astronauts to the Moon's surface by 2028. The surface return remains a plan, not a completed landing.

The description accompanying Spaceflight Now's briefing video places Artemis III in low Earth orbit. It describes a 2027 mission carrying four astronauts to test critical landing systems. Those mission details come from Spaceflight Now's description, rather than NASA's post about the briefing.

In Spaceflight Now's live account, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency was still aiming to demonstrate fueling a short-stack version of the Space Launch System rocket before the end of 2026. The outlet also reported his remark that NASA had not finalized its choice of Human Landing System lander for Artemis IV as development and testing continued.