The updated testing schedule for SpaceX's Starship could postpone NASA's Artemis 3 lunar mission by more than a year. According to Space, an internal SpaceX document indicates that the company expects to complete critical preparation phases later than stipulated by NASA's contract.
SpaceX plans to conduct an orbital refueling demonstration of Starship in June 2026 and an unmanned lunar landing in June 2027. If these stages are successful, the first opportunity for astronaut landing might only occur in September 2028. These dates have not yet been finalized with NASA, and the company plans to submit a revised schedule in December.
NASA is currently officially sticking to the launch schedule for Artemis 3 in 2027, but the landing component of the mission is entirely dependent on Starship's readiness. The Artemis 2 mission, which aims to perform a crewed flyby of the Moon, is expected no earlier than February 2026.
In 2025, Starship faced several issues: out of five launches, three ended with the loss of the upper stage, while only the latest flights of the Block 2 version were successful. Currently, SpaceX has achieved partial success — the Super Heavy booster was successfully recovered and intercepted, and the Ship landed softly.
Remaining key requirements from NASA include successful cryogenic refueling in orbit, a series of dockings with Starship, and guaranteed unmanned landing. According to SpaceX's estimates, the lunar lander for Artemis 3 will require up to 12 refuelings in orbit to gather enough fuel for landing and returning to the orbital rendezvous point with Orion.
Although 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 the timeline.
Additionally, SpaceX recently announced that the company has completed 500 reusable rocket launches.