NASA is briefing reporters Friday on its accelerated plan to return astronauts to the moon’s surface by 2028, more than five decades after the last Apollo landing.
The “Artemis Acceleration” press conference starts at 2 p.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman set to join senior officials for the announcement, according to a NASA media advisory.
Under the restructured programme, Artemis III has been repurposed as a low-Earth-orbit systems test in 2027 and will no longer land on the moon. The first crewed landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972 now falls to Artemis IV in early 2028, aimed at the moon’s south pole.
SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander must each complete uncrewed demonstration flights before carrying astronauts. SpaceX is expected to attempt an orbital propellant-transfer test in early 2027, though NASA’s safety panel and SpaceX chief Elon Musk disagree sharply on how many tanker flights the refuelling will require.
Source: UNILAD Tech
