NASA clears 2028 moon landing path by docking Starship in Earth orbit

NASA detailed its current strategy for returning astronauts to the lunar surface on Friday, confirming that a crewed landing could occur as early as 2028. The agency presented the first full public breakdown of the Artemis program, openly acknowledging that the mission architecture has changed in major ways since previous reports.

The primary alteration involves SpaceX’s Starship. Under the new plan, the Orion spacecraft will dock with the Starship lunar lander in high-Earth orbit. The combined vehicles will then travel toward the Moon. This shift removes the previous requirement for Starship to dock with Orion in a near-rectilinear halo orbit around the lunar surface. SpaceX engineers requested this change during meetings with NASA in early 2026, citing the high energy demands and technical difficulties of that specific orbit. The problem became moot for the private company when NASA canceled the Lunar Gateway earlier this year.

Blue Origin’s approach remains distinct from the SpaceX model. Its architecture requires four launches of the New Glenn rocket. None of these launches involve refueling one spacecraft from another. The plan leaves open the possibility that the Blue Moon lander will meet Orion in low-lunar orbit.

NASA officials stated that Artemis III is still expected to fly by summer 2027. That mission will serve as a demonstration, with Orion docking near Earth with both the Blue Moon and Starship vehicles. Artemis IV, which will include an actual landing on the lunar surface, remains on track for 2028.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman expressed confidence in the timeline during the news conference. "This is an achievable path we are on right now," he said. "We have the mandate, we have the resources, and the support from our stakeholders to be able to execute, and that's what we intend to do."

Agency leadership has reviewed every element of the Artemis program to help lunar lander companies carry out and speed up their work. The agency stated that the current plan reflects those efforts to simplify operations and maintain the announced schedule.