Artemis IV (Artemis 4)
Announced
The first Artemis Moon landing is Artemis IV, targeted early 2028 (as of July 17, 2026). The lander is deliberately unassigned: Starship HLS or Blue Moon, with the choice informed by Artemis III’s docking results. A 2026 NASA OIG report cautions that neither lander may be ready for 2028.
Facts as of July 17, 2026, from the NASA sources listed below.
early 2028
Targeted launch
~1week
On the surface
9
Candidate landing regions
2
Astronauts to the surface
Targets are NASA's current plan (as of July 17, 2026) and can change.
Announced, not flown. Dates and details on this page describe NASA's current plan and can change; every claim carries its announcement date. The Artemis schedule has been restructured before (February 27, 2026).
01Mission facts
| Significance | First crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972 |
| Profile | Four astronauts launch on SLS with Orion; two descend to the surface, two remain in orbit |
| Surface science | Field geology, sample collection and return, and deployed experiments |
| Landing area | Lunar south pole region (candidate regions under evaluation) |
| Lander | Not yet assigned (SpaceX Starship HLS or Blue Origin Blue Moon) |
02Crew
The crew is not yet announced.
03The mission
Artemis IV inherited the landing after the February 2026 renumbering. Four astronauts will fly to lunar orbit aboard Orion; two will transfer to a commercial lander, descend to the south pole region, and spend about a week on the surface before returning to Orion for the trip home. NASA describes the mission as "one of the most complex undertakings of engineering and human ingenuity in the history of deep space exploration."
The south pole is the target because permanently shadowed craters there may hold water ice, a resource for any sustained presence. Which of the nine candidate regions hosts the landing will be narrowed as the mission matures.
The nine candidate landing regions (announced October 28, 2024): Peak near Cabeus B, Haworth, Malapert Massif, Mons Mouton Plateau, Mons Mouton, Nobile Rim 1, Nobile Rim 2, de Gerlache Rim 2, Slater Plain. Candidate regions for the first Artemis landing, announced for what was then Artemis III and carried over to Artemis IV after the February 2026 renumbering.
Schedule risk, on the record: A 2026 NASA Office of Inspector General report flags that neither candidate lander may be ready for 2028: SpaceX had not yet demonstrated in-space cryogenic refueling or an uncrewed lunar landing, and Blue Origin's crewed lander remained in early development. (NASA OIG).
04Launch architecture in flux
NASA states that the interim cryogenic propulsion stage used for the first three missions will be replaced with a new second stage, and that it is "no longer planning to use the Exploration Upper Stage or Mobile Launcher 2, as development of both has faced delays." The agency is assessing alternative second-stage options (as of the February 2026 architecture announcement).
05After Artemis IV
NASA targets Artemis V, a further lunar surface mission, by late 2028, and about one lunar surface mission per year after that. Artemis V is also when NASA expects to begin building its Moon base (as of the March 2026 architecture update).
06Sources
- NASA: Artemis architecture announcement (Feb 27, 2026)
- NASA: Artemis IV mission page
- NASA: landing regions update (Oct 2024)
- NASA OIG: lander program schedule risks (2026)
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