Artemis IV: What We Know About NASA’s First Planned Moon Landing Mission (November 2026 Update)

By The SpaceInfo Club Space Engineer, founder of SpaceInfo Club

November 14, 2026 9 min read

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Artemis IV is the mission NASA now plans to use for the first crewed landing on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, targeted for 2028. As of November 2026 the mission has a defined shape (an SLS-launched Orion with four astronauts, two of whom descend to the surface) but several key decisions are still open: which commercial lander flies first, where it lands, and how much risk the first landing will carry. This article summarises what NASA and independent sources have said so far, separates confirmed facts from open questions, and lists what to watch next.

Watch the Artemis IV update on YouTube

Artemis IV in brief

Role: first planned crewed lunar landing of the Artemis program, since the February 2026 plan change.
Target date: 2028. NASA’s October 2026 statements refer to a 2028 return of astronauts to the surface, and NASA expects both landers to be able to deliver crews by the end of 2028. A second crewed landing, Artemis V, is also planned for 2028.
Crew: four astronauts aboard Orion, two of whom go to the surface and two of whom stay in orbit. The crew has not been announced.
Launch vehicle: Space Launch System (SLS) with Orion, from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center.
Lander: SpaceX Starship or Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 2. NASA has not yet said which will fly first.
Surface plan: two moonwalks of about two hours each, with sample collection and tests of Axiom Space’s spacesuit.
Landing site: not decided.

How Artemis IV changed in 2026

Artemis IV has had several roles. Before October 2022, it was planned to deliver the I-Hab module to the Lunar Gateway. Until February 2026 it was the second landing, after Artemis III. On 27 February 2026, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced that Artemis III would instead be a crewed Earth-orbit test of rendezvous and docking with the commercial landers, planned for mid-2027, which made Artemis IV the first landing. In March 2026, NASA paused the Lunar Gateway in its current form, so Artemis IV no longer includes a Gateway rendezvous. NASA’s stated reasons were to reduce complexity, launch more often and test the interfaces between Orion and the landers before a landing, a comparison Planetary Society experts have drawn with Apollo 9, which tested the lunar module in Earth orbit before Apollo 11.

Contracts changed too. NASA says it updated its human landing system contracts earlier in 2026 to match the accelerated plan. SpaceX had originally been assigned Artemis III and IV and Blue Origin Artemis V, but now both providers support Artemis III in low Earth orbit and neither is assigned a specific lunar landing mission.

The mission profile, according to NASA’s October 2026 update

On 23 October 2026, NASA described a streamlined concept of operations for the 2028 landing. The general sequence is the same for both providers: SLS launches Orion with four astronauts, Orion and the lander meet, two crew members transfer to the lander and descend to the surface, and after surface operations they return to Orion, which brings all four astronauts back to Earth, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. A key change is that Orion and the landers will no longer meet in the near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) that was baselined for Gateway. Each provider will use a different orbit suited to its design.

The SpaceX route

SpaceX plans to aggregate propellant in low Earth orbit: several tanker Starships transfer cryogenic propellant to a depot Starship, which then fuels the lander. The Starship lander waits in Earth orbit for Orion and docks with it. Starship then performs the trans-lunar injection burn to send the stack to low lunar orbit, which means NASA is modifying Orion so that Starship can push it. Two crew members spend several days on the surface and return to Orion. NASA lists benefits including flexible SLS launch timing, less propellant to aggregate than in the earlier concept and a shorter return to Orion. SpaceX will demonstrate propellant aggregation in its uncrewed demonstration. A NASA estimate reported by Space.com in July 2026 put the number of Starship refuelling launches needed at “at least 15”; that figure predates the October architecture update and may have changed.

The Blue Origin route

Blue Origin has dropped in-space propellant transfer. Instead, three transfer stages, based on existing Mark 1 and Mark 2 hardware, launch to low Earth orbit on New Glenn, followed by the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander. After docking, they work like a multistage rocket and separate as their propellant runs out, taking the lander to an elliptical polar orbit around the Moon, where it meets Orion. Two astronauts then descend to the lunar south pole. Blue Origin will demonstrate the full profile on an uncrewed transfer-stage mission and apply lessons from its Mark 1 robotic missions.

Who lands first?

NASA has said it will decide, based on lander readiness, which provider first delivers astronauts to the surface in 2028, with a second crewed landing following. Each provider must complete an uncrewed demonstration with its crewed lander, and NASA will certify each system before crewed flights. Artemis III, targeted for mid-2027, is where the two landers’ docking systems are tested with Orion, so its results will inform the decision. No decision date has been given, and there is no public statement choosing a lander for Artemis IV.

Where will Artemis IV land?

NASA’s baseline is the lunar south pole, where permanently shadowed craters may contain water ice that could support outposts or propellant production. Isaacman has called the south pole “probably the most advantageous area”. But the site has not been finalised. NASA says it needs more data from robotic Commercial Lunar Payload Services landers and from the landers’ own development before making a decision.

There is also a public debate. Artemis II pilot Victor Glover said in July 2026 that he favoured a familiar, daylit equatorial site for a first landing, citing the difficulty of emergency return from a polar landing under the original NRHO plan, steep slopes of up to about 20 degrees, and the low Sun angle. He did not rule out the pole for later missions. In October 2026, a National Academies report, Human Exploration Across the Moon, identified four priority sites outside the poles: Bhabha Crater on the far side, Mons Hadley near the Apollo 15 site, the Orientale Basin and the Aristarchus Plateau. NASA says it remains focused on the south pole, and decides when and where to go.

The hardware: where each element stands

SLS and Orion: the Artemis III SLS is in stacking; boosters were completed on 30 September 2026, and the core stage has its four RS-25 engines. NASA has said it is evaluating options for the SLS upper stage for later missions, and reporting differs on which will be used.
Starship: Starship V3 first flew in May 2026. On 28 September 2026, Flight 14 became the first Starship flight to reach orbit. In-space propellant transfer between ships has not yet been demonstrated, and no ship catch has yet been attempted.
Blue Moon and New Glenn: a New Glenn exploded on 28 May 2026 during a static fire test at Launch Complex 36. According to reporting on a Blue Origin memo on 5 November, New Glenn’s return to flight has slipped to January 2027, and the first Blue Moon Mark 1 lander “Endurance” has been delayed to early 2027.
Spacesuits: Axiom Space is developing a lighter “Sortie” suit, expected to weigh about half as much as its primary suit, for the first moonwalks. Suits have been reported as behind schedule.

Risks and open questions

NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has repeatedly raised concerns. In February 2026 it called the plan for a first landing “questionable at best”, according to reporting on its remarks, and, according to SpacePolicyOnline, it was opening a formal recommendation in October asking NASA to re-examine Artemis IV’s objectives and possibly its architecture. NASA’s Office of Inspector General warned in March 2026 about uneven terrain given the height of the landers (Starship about 171 feet, Blue Moon Mark 2 about 53 feet). Artemis IV would also involve several firsts at once: the first crewed lunar landing in more than 50 years, the first use of cryogenic propellants on the Moon (Apollo used storable propellants), and the first operational use of two newly developed commercial landers. A geopolitical factor is China’s stated goal of landing astronauts on the Moon before 2030.

None of this means the 2028 date will not hold. It does mean that the date depends on events that have not happened yet, including Artemis III, the uncrewed lander demonstrations and certification.

What to watch next

The Artemis III tanking test at Pad 39B and the mid-2027 flight.
SpaceX’s next Starship flights and any orbital propellant transfer demonstration.
New Glenn’s return to flight, planned for January 2027, and the first Blue Moon Mark 1 mission.
NASA’s decision on the lander for the first landing and on the landing site.
The announcement of the Artemis IV crew.

Frequently asked questions

What is Artemis IV? Artemis IV is NASA’s planned first crewed landing on the Moon in the Artemis program, targeted for 2028. It will use SLS and Orion with a commercial lander.

When is Artemis IV planned to launch? NASA’s target is 2028. NASA expects both commercial landers to be ready to deliver crews to the surface by the end of 2028, and Artemis V is a planned second landing in the same year.

Will Starship or Blue Moon land first? NASA has not decided. It will choose based on which lander is ready first, after uncrewed demonstrations and certification.

Who will fly on Artemis IV? The crew has not been announced. It will be four astronauts on Orion, two of whom will land.

Where will Artemis IV land? The site is undecided. NASA’s baseline is the lunar south pole, while some astronauts and a National Academies report have suggested other sites.

Is the Lunar Gateway part of Artemis IV? No. NASA paused Gateway in March 2026 and removed the Gateway rendezvous from its plans, including for Artemis IV.

What happened to Artemis III? It is now a crewed Earth-orbit test, planned for mid-2027, with docking tests of Orion with Blue Origin and SpaceX test landers. It does not land on the Moon.

Watch the Artemis IV update on YouTube