The updated testing schedule for SpaceX's Starship might push back NASA's lunar mission Artemis 3 by over a year. According to Space, internal documents from SpaceX indicate that the company expects to complete essential preparatory stages later than the timeline set by the NASA contract.
SpaceX plans to conduct an orbital refueling demonstration of Starship in June 2026 and an uncrewed lunar landing in June 2027. If these stages are successful, the first opportunity for astronaut landing would not be until September 2028. These dates have yet to be aligned with NASA, and the company intends to submit a revised timeline in December.
Currently, NASA is officially holding to the launch schedule for Artemis 3 in 2027, but the landing aspect of the mission is entirely dependent on the readiness of Starship. The Artemis 2 mission, which plans to conduct a crewed lunar flyby, is not expected until February 2026.
In 2025, Starship faced significant challenges: out of five launches, three resulted in the loss of the upper stage, with only the latest Block 2 flights being successful. SpaceX has now achieved some success – the Super Heavy booster was successfully recovered and intercepted, and the Ship spacecraft made a soft landing.
Key NASA requirements remain ahead: successful cryogenic refueling in orbit, a series of Starship dockings, and guaranteed uncrewed landing. SpaceX estimates that the lunar lander for Artemis 3 will require up to 12 refuelings in orbit to accumulate enough fuel for landing and return to the orbital rendezvous point with Orion.
While many elements of the Starship project, including full reusability, are not critical for executing Artemis 3, SpaceX's progress directly impacts NASA's ability to adhere to its schedule.
Interestingly, SpaceX recently announced that the company has completed 500 reusable rocket launches.