NASA, Partners Accelerate Lander Development for 2028 Moon Missions

Key points

• NASA and its commercial partners Blue Origin and SpaceX have streamlined lander designs and changed how their crewed landers will operate for Moon missions. NASA plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028 and establish a Moon base.
• Under the revised plan, the landers and the Orion spacecraft will meet in different orbits, and both companies must complete uncrewed demonstration missions first. Artemis III has been redefined as a test of rendezvous and docking in low Earth orbit next year.
• NASA has also added development milestones to increase its oversight of lander work.