2021-04-16
: SpaceX Wins $2.9 Billion Human Landing System Contract — NASA awards SpaceX the Human Landing System contract, choosing the Starship vehicle to land astronauts on the Moon — bypassing Blue Origin and Dynetics despite protests.
2022-11-16
: Artemis I Launches — First Flight of NASA's Space Launch System — After years of delays and cost overruns, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifts off for the first time, sending the uncrewed Orion capsule on a 25-day journey around the Moon.
2023-04-03
: Artemis II Crew Announced — First Humans Around the Moon Since Apollo 17 — NASA announces the four-person crew for Artemis II, the first crewed mission around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
2024-01-09
: Artemis II Delayed to Late 2025 — Life Support Issues Discovered — NASA announces Artemis II is delayed from late 2024 to no earlier than September 2025 after technicians discover moisture and corrosion in the Orion capsule's life support systems.
2024-06-06
: SpaceX Starship Completes First Successful Full-Stack Test Flight — SpaceX's Starship completes its fourth integrated test flight with both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage returning successfully — a major milestone toward the lunar lander mission.
2024-10-13
: Starship Catches Super Heavy Booster with Mechanical Arms — "Chopsticks" Success — SpaceX achieves a historic feat: the massive Super Heavy booster returns from space and is caught mid-air by the launch tower's mechanical arms — a technology never attempted before at this scale.
2024-12-20
: Artemis II Delayed Again to 2026 — "No Earlier Than April 2026" — NASA pushes Artemis II back again, this time to no earlier than April 2026, citing continued Orion spacecraft issues and needing more time to verify life support systems are astronaut-ready.
2025-06-10
: SpaceX Starship Flight 9 Succeeds — Starship completes its ninth integrated flight test with full success — both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship return and land intact.
2025-06-10
: SpaceX Starship Flight 9 Succeeds — Starship completes its ninth integrated flight test with full success — both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship return and land intact.
2025-06-10
: SpaceX Starship Flight 9 Succeeds — Starship completes its ninth integrated flight test with full success — both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship return and land intact.
2025-09-15
: Starship Completes Refueling Test — SpaceX successfully demonstrates orbital propellant transfer between two Starship vehicles in low Earth orbit — a critical milestone required before Starship can be certified as the Artemis III lunar lander.
2026-04-07
: Artemis II Launches Around the Moon — NASA launches Artemis II — the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972 — sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon.
2026-04-07
: Artemis II Launches Around the Moon — NASA launches Artemis II — the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972 — sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon.
2026-04-07
: Artemis II Launches — NASA launches Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center, sending astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day crewed flyby of the Moon — the first humans to leave Earth orbit in 54 years.
2026-04-07
: Artemis II Launches Around the Moon — NASA launches Artemis II — the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972 — sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon.
2026-04-10
: Artemis II Splashes Down Safely — The Artemis II crew splashes down safely off the coast of San Diego, completing humanity's first crewed lunar journey in 54 years and setting a new record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.
2026-04-10
: Artemis II Splashes Down Safely — The Artemis II crew splashes down safely off the coast of San Diego, completing humanity's first crewed lunar journey in 54 years and setting a new record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.
2026-04-17
: Artemis II Crew Returns Safely — The Orion capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean with all four Artemis II astronauts in excellent health — completing the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972 and validating all systems needed for the Artemis III landing.
2026-04-19
: NASA Confirms Artemis III for 2028 — NASA formally announces that Artemis III — the first crewed Moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972 — is targeting a launch window in early 2028, after Artemis II mission data confirmed all Orion spacecraft systems and the crew health protocols required for lunar surface operations.
2026-04-25
: NASA Announces Artemis III Crew — NASA officially names the four-person Artemis III crew — mission commander Zena Cardman, pilot Kyle Lindgren, and lunar surface crew members Victor Glover and Christina Koch — making Koch the first woman and Glover the first African-American to walk on the Moon when the mission lands in early 2028.