The US path to the Moon shifted pretty significantly on Friday, in what NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the “only way forward” for the American lunar program.
Hit the gas: Isaacman announced multiple changes to the program, including:
- Standardizing the SLS rocket to cut complexity and accelerate manufacturing;
- Growing the NASA civil workforce;
- Cutting the time between SLS launches from once every three years to once every 10 months.
Timeline: In light of these structural changes, Isaacman announced a new timeline for the American return to the Moon. The biggest shift is that Artemis III will no longer involve putting astronauts on the lunar surface. Instead, the mission—which is expected to launch in mid-2027—will test out the tech for the Orion capsule to dock in lunar orbit with one or both Moon landers being built by industry.
Then NASA will have two shots to land on the Moon in 2028—one early in the year, and one roughly 10 months later. Isaacman said the agency isn’t set on launching two landing missions that year, but wants to keep its options open.
“Everybody agrees, this is the only way forward,” he said. “They know this is how NASA changed the world, and this is how NASA is going to do it again.”
Next up: First, the Artemis II mission to fly around the Moon needs to get off the launch pad—a milestone that was further delayed when engineers discovered a helium flow issue last week. Lori Glaze, the acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said work has already begun to fix the rocket, giving the agency the “best possible chance” to launch in early April.
NASA: Agency ‘Failed’ Starliner Astronauts
“The most troubling failure…is not hardware. It is decision-making and leadership that, if left unchecked, could create a culture incompatible with human spaceflight,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during a livestreamed press conference.
Axiom Space Raises $350M to Fuel Station, Suit Development
The company also confirmed that both pieces of hardware are on track to be ready in time to hit critical NASA deadlines.
Vast Wins Its First Private Astronaut Mission to ISS
The previous five missions have all gone to competitor Axiom, which (like Vast) is building its own private station vying to replace the ISS.
SpaceX Delays Mars Plans in Favor of the Moon
The update is an about-face from previous comments made by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who called the Moon a “distraction” in January 2025.
Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket won’t fly until the end of the year, the New Zealand launcher announced Thursday in its 2025 earnings.
During earnings announcements in years past, CFO Adam Spice tied the company’s profitability to its ability to begin flights of the medium-lift rocket, which was expected to first fly as early as 2024 when first announced. So, an update that Neutron’s inaugural flight would be pushed back to Q4 2026 is a rough sign for the rest of the year.
Delays, however, should be contained to the single component—the fuel tank—which ruptured during a test in January. CEO Peter Beck said that the extra time to requalify a new tank, and a new, faster method to build that tank, would mean quicker ramp up of Neutron missions after flight one.
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