Humans back on the Moon

When will astronauts land on the Moon again?

Four astronauts flew around the Moon and back on Artemis II in April 2026, but no crewed spacecraft has yet landed on the Moon since Apollo 17. NASA's current target is a crewed landing near the lunar south pole in early 2028, on Artemis IV, and the agency has added a 2027 test flight in Earth orbit before it. The landers that would carry the crew are built by SpaceX and Blue Origin, and the sources reviewed say the SpaceX lander is behind its original schedule. China has a stated goal of a crewed landing by 2030. None of these dates has been met yet.

AI illustration · Illustrative scene, not a photograph of the specific device or experiment.
WHERE WE AREEngineering prototypes

Getting closer. Prototypes exist, but not in real-world use.

Crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit has been shown, most recently on Artemis II in April 2026. The landers that would take crew to the surface are still in development. Their first uncrewed lunar landing flight has not been shown, and propellant transfer between two spacecraft in orbit, which both landers depend on, has not been demonstrated in the sources reviewed. The stage is therefore engineering prototype rather than pilot.

The tech tree

Everything recorded on Vrulum that this future needs, oldest foundations at the top and the goal at the bottom. Lines show what each step requires.

What it takes: Humans back on the Moon Unlocked Being researched Locked
  1. 2017Asteroid miningResearch and prototypes Being researched.
  1. 2014In-space manufacturingResearch and prototypesRequires: Asteroid mining. Being researched.
  1. 1964Reusable launch vehiclesPilot and early commercialRequires: In-space manufacturing. Unlocked.
  1. 2024Commercial lunar landersPilot and early commercialRequires: Reusable launch vehicles. Unlocked.
  1. 2026Crewed flight around the MoonDone Unlocked.
  2. Date not recordedUncrewed lander landing on the MoonNot started Locked.
  3. Date not recordedPropellant transfer between two spacecraft in Earth orbitNot started Locked.
  4. Date not recordedCrewed test flight in Earth orbit with a landerNot started Locked.
  5. Date not recordedFirst crewed landing on the Moon since ApolloNot started Locked.
  6. Date not recordedFurther crewed lunar landingsNot started Locked.
  7. Date not recordedCrewed lunar landing by ChinaNot started Locked.
  1. GoalHumans back on the MoonGoalRequires: Commercial lunar landers, Reusable launch vehicles, Crewed flight around the Moon, Uncrewed lander landing on the Moon, Propellant transfer between two spacecraft in Earth orbit, Crewed test flight in Earth orbit with a lander, First crewed landing on the Moon since Apollo, Further crewed lunar landings, Crewed lunar landing by China. Locked.

The road so far

1 of 7 steps done.

  1. Done · 1 Apr 2026Crewed flight around the Moon

    NASA's Artemis II carried four crew members on a crewed lunar flyby. It launched on 1 April 2026 and splashed down on 10 April 2026, after a flight of 9 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes. The crew did not land on the Moon. [1]

  2. Not startedUncrewed lander landing on the Moon

    Before any crewed landing, each lander must make an uncrewed lunar landing flight. NASA's Inspector General reported in March 2026 that SpaceX's lander would not be ready for the June 2027 lunar landing date it then had. GAO's 2026 assessment says SpaceX is more than a year behind its original schedule for key events, and that key demonstrations, including an uncrewed demonstration mission, were delayed by over a year. [5][6]

  3. Not startedPropellant transfer between two spacecraft in Earth orbit

    A lander must be refilled in orbit before it can reach the Moon. The NASA Inspector General describes this as one of the most significant technical challenges facing the SpaceX lander. The planned test was moved from March 2025 to March 2026. GAO says the propellant transfer and long-duration Starship tests are both scheduled for 2026. The sources reviewed do not report a completed transfer. [5][6]

  4. Not startedCrewed test flight in Earth orbit with a lander

    NASA's Artemis III mission page lists a launch in 2027. It is described as a crewed demonstration in low Earth orbit that will test one or both human landing systems. NASA's February 2026 update says the mission will include rendezvous and docking with one or both commercial landers. No month or day within 2027 has been given. [2][4]

  5. Not startedFirst crewed landing on the Moon since Apollo

    NASA's Artemis IV page gives a launch in early 2028 for a crewed surface landing near the lunar south pole. Two crew members would descend to the surface and spend about a week there. The Artemis IV page does not name a lander. The NASA Inspector General report, which uses the older Artemis numbering, says the later sustaining lander capability depends on the success of the first crewed lander work. [3][4][5]

  6. Not startedFurther crewed lunar landings

    NASA's February 2026 update says it aims for at least one surface landing every year after Artemis IV. It does not name the years or the missions beyond 2028. [4]

  7. Not startedCrewed lunar landing by China

    China's space agency has stated a goal of a crewed lunar landing by 2030. Its planned tests include a technical verification flight of the Long March-10 rocket and the maiden flights of the Mengzhou spacecraft and the Lanyue lunar lander. The official statement gives no dates for these flights. [7]

Why it matters

A crewed landing would be the first return of people to the lunar surface since Apollo 17, and the first test of the systems that longer stays on the Moon would need. The schedule matters because it sets when NASA and its partners learn whether landers, life support and spacesuits work in practice. Dates in programme plans are targets, so readers should check each one against the hardware tests that must come first.

What stands in the way

  • Refuelling in Earth orbit has not been shown. NASA's Inspector General describes cryogenic propellant transfer as one of the most significant technical challenges facing SpaceX, and the planned test has slipped 12 months.
  • The SpaceX lander has not yet flown the uncrewed landing test, and the Inspector General states that each Starship flight mishap carries an estimated 1 to 3 months of schedule impact.
  • The Inspector General says Blue Origin's lander still needs to address shortcomings identified at its preliminary design review, including propulsion maturity and propellant margins, and nearly half of the review's requests for action were open in August 2025.
  • NASA's Artemis III and Artemis IV schedules leave little margin, and GAO reports that NASA officials said the cost and schedule of the human landing system are under review.
  • China's lunar landing vehicles have not yet made their maiden flights, and no dates for those flights have been published.

Published forecasts

What others have predicted. These are their estimates, not ours.

WhoForecastTimeframeMade
NASANASA's February 2026 architecture update says the Artemis IV lunar landing is intended for 2028. Its Artemis IV mission page gives early 2028 as the launch. These are programme targets. The NASA Inspector General's March 2026 report says SpaceX's lander would not be ready for the June 2027 lunar landing date it then had. [4]202827 Feb 2026
China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)China is targeting a crewed lunar landing by 2030. The statement, made by CMSA spokesperson Zhang Jingbo, gives no date within that year and gives no dates for the planned rocket, spacecraft and lander test flights. [7]203023 May 2026

Signals to watch

  • A full-scale transfer of propellant between two Starship vehicles in Earth orbit.
  • An uncrewed lander flight that reaches the lunar surface and survives the landing.
  • The launch of Artemis III in 2027, and whether it docks with one or both landers.
  • A revised cost and schedule baseline for the human landing system after NASA's review.
  • The first flights of China's Long March-10, Mengzhou and Lanyue, with dates.

Sources

  1. government report
    Artemis II
    NASA, 2026.
  2. government report
    Artemis III
    NASA, 2026.
  3. government report
    Artemis IV
    NASA, 2026.
  4. government report
    NASA Adds Mission to Artemis Lunar Program, Updates Architecture
    NASA, 27 Feb 2026.
  5. government report
    NASA's Management of the Human Landing System Contracts (IG-26-004)
    NASA Office of Inspector General, 10 Mar 2026.
  6. government report
    NASA Assessments of Major Projects (GAO-26-108556)
    U.S. Government Accountability Office, 23 Jul 2026.
  7. news
    China's upcoming lunar mission to target moon's south pole
    Xinhua, reporting CMSA spokesperson Zhang Jingbo (English.www.gov.cn), 23 May 2026.

Last reviewed 22 Oct 2026.