Mission accomplished for the Artemis II crew! Astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen They completed the lunar flyby aboard NASA’s Orion capsule in April 2026. Now that they’ve completed their mission, astronomy enthusiasts are already looking forward to Artemis 2. But will this mission actually land on the moon?
After Artemis II returned to Earth on April 10, 2026, he became NASA administrator Jared Isaacman “We’re back to sending astronauts to the moon,” he said. “And this is just the beginning.”
Meanwhile, NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatri It reflects the last time NASA actually went to the moon.
“Fifty-three years ago, humanity left the moon,” Kshatriya said. “This time we are back to stay. Let us finish what they started. Let us focus on what has not been accomplished. Let us not go plant flags and leave, but let us remain steadfast in our goal.”
So does this mean that Artemis III will go to the moon? Here’s what we know about the upcoming mission.
When will Artemis 3 be released?
Artemis III is expected to be launched in 2027, but the exact date has not yet been determined.
Will Artemis 3 land on the moon?
No, despite the excitement brought by Artemis 2’s orbit around the Moon, Artemis 3 will not actually land on the Moon. According to NASA, the Artemis III mission “will launch a crew in the Orion spacecraft atop an SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to test the rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon.”
The yet-to-be-announced Artemis III crew will “go to Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft” as a test. NASA notes on its website that the mission “will test one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively.”
What is the Artemis mission that will land on the moon?
Artemis 4 is the mission that NASA expects to land on the Moon sometime in 2028. This, of course, depends on the success of Artemis 3.
