ARTEMIS
Return to the Moon
NASA's program to land humans on the Moon again — for the first time since 1972, if it happened then, and if it happens now.
NEXT MISSION
ARTEMIS III
CREWED LUNAR LANDING
ESTIMATED TIME TO LAUNCH — NET SEPTEMBER 2028
Launch date is approximate and subject to change based on Starship HLS readiness
👩🚀
Crewed Lunar Landing
First humans on the Moon since Gene Cernan left in December 1972
🌑
Lunar South Pole
Landing near Shackleton Crater — permanently shadowed regions with water ice
🚀
Starship Lunar Lander
SpaceX Starship HLS will ferry crew from Orion to the surface and back
🛰️
SLS + Orion
Same launch vehicle and spacecraft that flew Artemis I and II
🏗️
Gateway Station
First modules of the lunar orbital station support Artemis III operations
🔬
Lunar Science
Collect samples from south pole, deploy instruments, study water ice deposits
ROAD TO ARTEMIS III
2024-09✓
Crew announced
Four astronauts assigned to the lunar landing mission
2025-01✓
SLS core stage assembled
Core stage stacking completed at Michoud Assembly Facility
2026-04✓
Artemis II completes lunar flyby
10-day crewed lunar flyby proved Orion systems for deep space
2027
Starship HLS uncrewed lunar landing test
SpaceX Starship Human Landing System demo landing on the Moon
2028
Gateway module launch (PPE + HALO)
First modules of the lunar orbital station launched on Falcon Heavy
2028 Q3
Artemis III launch
Crew of 4 launches aboard Orion for first crewed lunar landing since 1972
2028 Q3
Crewed lunar surface EVA
First moonwalk in over 50 years — south pole near Shackleton Crater
🌐🔬🚀🛰️📝🌙
NASA Artemis III Overview
Artemis III Science
SpaceX Starship HLS
Gateway Space Station
NASA Artemis Blog
NASA Artemis Overview
DEEP DIVES
📅💰⚖️🏭☢️🔍
Launch Delay History
Every time Artemis III slipped — from 2024 to 2028 and counting
Cost Tracker
What they said it would cost vs what it actually costs
Apollo vs Artemis
1960s technology vs 2020s technology — side by side
Follow the Money
Who builds what, how much they charge, and whether it works
Radiation Data
What Artemis I sensors measured vs what Apollo crews reportedly experienced
Critical Analysis
Independent technical analysis — both sides, you decide
WORTH NOTING
NASA named their return-to-the-Moon program "Artemis" in May 2019. In 2024, Apple released Fly Me to the Moon — a film about faking the Apollo 11 landing. The fictional cover-up in the film is called "Project Artemis."
Apple worked directly with NASA on the production. NASA provided archival launch footage used in the film. Both parties were in the same meetings. NASA did not object to the shared naming. No public statement was issued.
It has been 19,476 days since a human last walked on the Moon. The technology to return has been "5-10 years away" for most of that time.
VERIFY IT YOURSELF
ARTEMIS TRACKER — NIXFRED.TECH
Data from NASA, JPL Horizons, SpaceX. Not affiliated with NASA.