The next Moon mission could change space travel forever. Here’s how

A cheeky trip to the Moon sounds simple enough. We managed it six times more than half a century ago, after all. But NASA’s next planned crewed Moon landing will require – deep breath – several rockets, spacecraft built by competing companies, an orbital rendezvous, and tech that’s never been used at this scale. It’s enough to make something like your shiny iPhone seem as complex as an abacus. Space is humbling, yo.

That next planned Moon landing mission, by the way, is Artemis IV – currently targeted for early 2028. If successful, it’ll put humans on the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 left in December 1972. NASA also wants to prove that lunar exploration no longer needs to be a rare, one-off event, followed by another wait lasting several decades.

The landing will, naturally, get most of the attention. But for those in the know, getting everything lined up into place beforehand could be the more interesting part…

Artemis IV needs several spacecraft to work together

Apollo 11 reached the Moon using an enormous Saturn V rocket carrying its command module and lunar lander in one stack. The spacecraft separated, reconnected in lunar orbit, and eventually brought Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins safely home. In short, it’s a veritable legend, as far as historic methods of transport go.

Artemis IV will, however, use a more distributed approach. Four astronauts are expected to launch aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft on top of the Space Launch System – better known as SLS. Their lunar lander, meanwhile, will have travelled separately, and should already be waiting for them in space upon their arrival.

Orion will dock with the chosen lander, members of the crew will transfer across, and the lander will carry them down to the surface. It must then lift off again, rendezvous with Orion, and return its passengers for the journey back to Earth. I’m just glad I don’t have to do any of the maths.

As for why? Well, one rocket no longer needs to carry every component required for the entire expedition. It’s a brilliant idea with plenty of upsides. But it does also mean that there are far more components that need to work. And more that can go wrong.

The astronauts will transfer to a separate Moon lander

NASA hasn’t yet confirmed which spacecraft will perform the landing. SpaceX is developing a lunar version of Starship, while Blue Origin is working on its Blue Moon lander. Under NASA’s latest Artemis plan, whichever vehicle is ready will carry the crew to the surface and back to Orion.

Before either is trusted with astronauts, it will need to demonstrate an uncrewed lunar landing, operate safely in space, and prove that it can meet and dock with Orion. NASA has inserted another mission into the programme to test those systems closer to home.

Artemis III – now scheduled for 2027 – will spend around two weeks in low-Earth orbit rather than visiting the Moon. Its crew is expected to rehearse rendezvous and docking procedures with one or both commercial landers, while also testing communications, propulsion, life support, and new spacesuits.

It’s a dress rehearsal for some of the most complicated parts of Artemis IV – only with Earth relatively close by if something goes wrong.

NASA is relying on SpaceX or Blue Origin

Image credit: Blue Origin

The involvement of SpaceX and Blue Origin marks one of the biggest departures from Apollo. NASA remains in charge of the mission and oversees SLS and Orion, but the vehicle that actually lands its astronauts on another world will come from a commercial supplier.

That gives NASA more flexibility. It won’t have to develop every spacecraft itself, and new vehicles could eventually be introduced without replacing the entire system. Having two potential suppliers also means the programme isn’t completely dependent on one lander.

Starship takes the idea much further. It’s intended to be reusable and refuelled in orbit, allowing spacecraft to top up their tanks away from Earth instead of carrying every drop of propellant from the launch pad.

That’s still a very large “if”. Starship has yet to demonstrate orbital refuelling, and NASA’s inspector general has warned that more than 11 additional Starship launches could be required to fill a propellant depot for one lunar mission.

That’s a lot of launches before the journey to the Moon has even properly started.

The lunar south pole could support a Moon base

NASA says that Artemis isn’t intended to deliver another brief round of flags and footprints, though. The agency wants Artemis V to follow later in 2028, begin building a Moon base, and establish a pattern of roughly annual lunar missions.

Robotic landers could also deliver scientific equipment, vehicles, power systems, and supplies before astronauts arrive. Crews would gradually stay longer and travel farther from their landing sites – although “gradually” is doing plenty of work there.

NASA currently wants Artemis IV to visit the lunar south pole because permanently shadowed craters may contain significant deposits of water ice. That water could support astronauts directly, while oxygen and hydrogen extracted from it could potentially be used to make rocket propellant.

Sending less material from Earth would also make longer stays more practical, setting the Moon up as a staging point for missions deeper into the Solar System, rather than somewhere astronauts visit briefly before heading straight home.

The destination isn’t completely settled, though. Artemis II pilot Victor Glover has argued that an initial landing closer to the lunar equator could offer better lighting and faster emergency-return options. The south pole may be scientifically tempting – but it might not be the safest place to attempt humanity’s first lunar landing in 56 years.

The 2028 Moon landing could easily slip

Shot by Jongsun Lee, via Unsplash

Almost every ambitious part of Artemis IV is also a potential reason for it to be delayed.

The commercial lander must be completed and successfully tested. Orbital refuelling may have to work. NASA needs new Moon suits, a faster SLS production cycle, and confidence that several independently launched spacecraft can meet in the right place at the right time.

The programme has already been substantially rewritten, too. Artemis III was originally supposed to perform the lunar landing, but NASA moved that objective to Artemis IV following concerns about lander readiness, spacesuits, safety, and the long gaps between missions.

So 2028 remains a target – not a guarantee. Returning humans to the Moon is still extraordinarily difficult, despite more than five decades of technological progress and considerably better computers.

NASA wants to begin building a lunar base later that same year, by the way. But first, a lot of rockets need to launch, dock, transfer fuel, and behave themselves. And, once again, I’d like to stress that I’m very glad that none of this is my responsibility.