Artemis II Was a Rousing Success, So What’s Next for NASA?

There’s no doubt that Artemis II was a rousing success for NASA and space fans everywhere. The 6-hour launch broadcast was viewed by 18 million people and sparked interest in a space program that hadn’t sent a spacecraft to the moon in 50 years. The crew of Artemis II splashed back down on April 10, ending the Artemis II mission. So what’s next?

Quite a lot, as it turns out. NASA spent the first quarter of 2026 reorganizing its plans to accomplish more tasks and launch more often, and there are some pretty ambitious plans in the works for the agency. 

There are three major prongs: returning humans to the moon, nuclear power in space, and, ultimately, a habitable base on the moon. NASA is working on the technology that will be instrumental in making all of this happen, and at this point, it’s mostly a matter of getting everything done on time. 

Artemis I sent the Orion capsule around the moon to test its capabilities. Artemis II put astronauts in the Orion capsule and sent them around the moon, breaking the record for the furthest distance from Earth traveled by humans in the process. Next up is Artemis III. 

The original plan for Artemis III was to put humans back on the moon, and it was scheduled for launch in 2028. That is no longer the case. Artemis III is now a testing mission that will see a crew connect with lunar landers in low Earth orbit and test equipment in preparation for Artemis IV, which aims to put humans back on the moon in 2028. Per NASA, testing is planned for “one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin.”

Artemis III is scheduled for launch in 2027 and will use the same Orion capsule and SLS rocket system that launched the Artemis I and II missions. The 2027 timeline reduces the gap between launches to just over one year. This is part of the shakeup, where NASA wants to conduct more launches in shorter timeframes to maintain momentum while increasing astronaut safety.

It’s still early, and many of the mission details haven’t been announced yet. The process is well underway, as NASA has returned its mobile launcher to the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building to get refurbished for the Artemis III launch, and the agency has rolled out its next core stage — the largest section of the SLS rocket — from its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. 

The SR-1 Freedom: Nuclear-powered spacecraft headed to Mars

All of the above is intended to support the main goal: NASA’s Ignition Program. This massive, sprawling plan took NASA nearly 5 hours to announce across three press conferences in late March, and it’s expected to cost $20 billion and be completed by 2033.

The plan includes loads of things, including building a new space station after the International Space Station is dropped into the Pacific Ocean, performing myriad science experiments to learn more about space and the Artemis and SR-1 Freedom missions.

The endgame for Ignition is the moon base, and most of the other things NASA announced are furthering that objective to some extent. Ignition’s scope is truly massive. NASA is completing the program in three phases, and each phase requires dozens of things to happen. 

• Phase one: Building, testing and learning. NASA is researching everything from lunar landing spots to nuclear power, all while sending various missions, landers and research technology to gather as much data as possible. In a technical document, NASA says that phase one includes 25 launches, 21 moon landings and sending over 4,000 kilograms of materials and equipment to the lunar surface.
  Per NASA’s spokesperson, that includes drones to scout the surface as part of the MoonFall mission, autonomous rovers, communication relays and “survive the night” power demonstrations. 
• Phase two: An additional 27 launches, 24 landings and 60,000 kilograms of equipment and materials headed for our nearest celestial neighbor. NASA’s goal here is to establish early infrastructure, including a semi-habitable structure and logistics.
• Phase three: Promises continuous human presence on the moon, similar to the continuous human presence in orbit with the ISS. This phase features heavier infrastructure, nuclear power, a vehicle for astronauts to drive and all the other materials necessary for a permanent lunar base. This phase promises 29 launches, 28 moon landings and 150,000 kilograms of payload bound for the lunar surface.

For those keeping score, that’s 81 launches, 73 moon landings and 214,000 kilograms (approximately 236 tons) of material. NASA’s plan addresses just about all of the technology and research necessary to accomplish the task, including filling in existing technology gaps, learning how to deal with the lunar environment and the long-term effects of living on the lunar surface. 

It’s a massive undertaking, but NASA administrator Jared Isaacman is adamant that NASA can pull it off. 

“We have the vision, resources and experience,” Isaacman said in a post on X. “Now we move beyond presentations and PowerPoint.”