NASA is set to provide an update on its Artemis Moon program on Friday, October 23, 2026. The update is anticipated to reveal new information about the Artemis III mission and preparations to send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2028.
The briefing is being held in advance of a different kind of Artemis III flight than NASA originally planned. The 2027 mission will launch a crewed test flight into low Earth orbit to show how spacecraft perform, including the technologies needed for NASA’s Orion spacecraft to dock with commercial lunar landers.
NASA’s Artemis III update coming out Oct. 23? When is it?
NASA will hold a media briefing on its Artemis program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT) Friday, Oct. 23.
Attending are Artemis program manager Jeremy Parsons, associate administrator Amit Kshatriya and NASA administrator Jared Isaacman.
The agency said the talk will cover preparations for Artemis III and progress toward getting American astronauts back to the Moon by 2028.
NASA will provide official live coverage of the event.
What does Artemis III look like in 2027 for NASA?
Right now Artemis III is being designed as a crewed mission to low Earth orbit. On this flight four astronauts will conduct operations that are vital for future landings on the Moon.
One of the main goals is to demonstrate that Orion is compatible with human landing systems being developed commercially by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
NASA will test rendezvous and docking operations that will eventually allow astronauts to transfer between Orion and a lunar lander.
These operations are vital as astronauts need to fly on Orion for NASA’s upcoming Moon landing missions before they move to another spacecraft for the trip down to the lunar surface.
The engineers can test those procedures in the vicinity of the Earth before they attempt to use them in the vicinity of the Moon to see how they work and whether they will work with the spacecraft.
The 2027 flight will not have any astronauts landing on the surface of the moon.
The Artemis III mission’s astronauts have been named.
NASA has selected four astronauts for the Artemis III mission. They are:
- NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik
- Frank Rubio, NASA astronaut
- NASA astronaut Andre Douglas
- Luca Parmitano, an astronaut of the European Space Agency
The crew has been preparing for spacecraft recovery, emergency procedures and launch operations.
Astronauts have completed underwater escape training and recovery exercises with military teams, rehearsing procedures with their Orion survival suits, according to NASA’s Oct. 13 mission update.
The crew also visited Kennedy Space Center and discussed lunar landing systems with the commercial partners developing them.
“Artemis III rocket is moving forward,” says NASA.
NASA stacked the twin solid rocket boosters for Artemis III at Kennedy Space Center in September 2026.
Also, engineers have installed the four RS-25 engines on the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS).
The boosters produce more than 75% of the rocket’s thrust when it lifts off. They will work in conjunction with the core stage to launch Orion and its crew.
NASA is currently preparing a short-stack rocket configuration for a propellant-loading test at Launch Pad 39B.
The test will provide launch teams with an opportunity to rehearse fueling procedures and countdown operations prior to the flight.
Inspections have also been conducted on the solar arrays that provide electrical power to the spacecraft’s European-built Orion service module.
NASA is still not finished with all of the testing required ahead of launch, but the preparations show that hardware work is moving ahead.
When will NASA return to the moon?
NASA hopes to fly the first crewed lunar landing of the Artemis program with Artemis IV in 2028.
It would be the first time astronauts had been back to the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
Artemis IV, unlike Artemis III, will send astronauts to lunar orbit, and then transfer them to a commercial lander for their journey down to the lunar surface. After returning to lunar orbit, the astronauts will rejoin Orion for their journey back to Earth.
NASA is working with Blue Origin and SpaceX to build human landing systems to meet its goals for lunar exploration.
Each organization is required to demonstrate that its spacecraft will meet NASA’s technical and safety requirements.
Keeping to the 2028 landing schedule will depend on the readiness of landers, docking systems and other mission hardware.
NASA also anticipates Artemis V will support another lunar surface mission in 2028.
What to expect from NASA’s Oct. 23 announcement
We might get a better handle on what still needs to be done before Artemis III in 2027 launches at the Oct. 23 briefing.
One area that requires attention is when to test Orion’s ability to operate with commercial landers. Another example is the progress SpaceX and Blue Origin have made toward meeting NASA’s specifications.
The status of SLS rocket preparations, spacecraft testing and launch rehearsals will also give clues to how close Artemis III is to its next major milestones.
The key piece of information for the 2028 Moon landing is whether NASA can identify the specific technical work that needs to be completed before astronauts can safely transfer to a lunar lander and touch down on the surface.
NASA has confirmed the briefing’s subjects, but any new decisions or updated schedules will have to wait until the agency makes its official announcement.
The Oct. 23 update should help clarify NASA’s strategy for transitioning from a 2027 Earth-orbit demonstration to a crewed lunar landing in 2028. The distinction is important: Artemis III is designed to test the systems, Artemis IV is designed to use them to get astronauts back to the Moon.