More than 50 years after Apollo 17, humans are set to return to the moon. The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a ten‑day journey around our closest celestial neighbor, testing the spacecraft and observing the far side of the moon, parts of which have never been seen directly by humans.

The launch date has been postponed by NASA twice already. Plans to launch the mission at the beginning of February were pushed first to March and then to April because of a problem with the rocket’s helium supply. It now needs to be moved back to its hangar for repairs.

The multibillion‑dollar Artemis program aims to eventually land crews on the lunar surface again. It’s led by the US Space Agency NASAwith major contributions by the Canadian Space Agency CSA and European Space Agency ESA.

NASA plans long‑term stay on the Moon 

Since water ice has been detected near the lunar south pole, long‑term stays have become more realistic. Plans include a potential settlement on the moon’s surface.

A lunar orbiting station, which could serve as a stop on the way to Mars, was planned as well. But with recent changes to the Artemis program, it is unclear whether the so-called “Gateway” lunar space station will become reality.  

Changes have also been made to the plans for the next steps in the series of missions. Artemis III was slated to bring humans back to the Moon’s surface, but NASA now wants to keep the mission in low Earth orbit. The goal is to test docking and undocking of one or possibly two commercial lunar landers, along with life-support systems in the spacecraft and communications and propulsion systems.  

The following mission, Artemis IV, which is now planned to launch in 2028, is the one that will then land astronauts for the first time in over 50 years. The last landing took place in 1972. 

 

This video and article were updated on 27.02.2026