NASA reshapes Moon mission plan, adding orbital test ahead of 2028 landing

NASA has revised its Artemis roadmap: Artemis II will orbit the Moon without landing, Artemis III is being repurposed into Artemis IV for a Moon landing in 2028 (with a potential second landing later that year), and the agency plans an initial crewed Earth-orbit test in 2027 docking with a private lunar lander. NASA is also moving away from the planned Block 1b upgrade in favor of a simpler, standardized Space Launch System. Oversight questions persist about whether the 2028 schedule is achievable given development risks with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers, but the agency aims to accelerate Moon missions overall.