There is no doubt that Artemis II was a sensational success for NASA and space fans everywhere. The 6-hour broadcast of the launch was watched by 18 million people and sparked interest in a space program that had not sent a spacecraft to the moon in 50 years. Artemis II’s crew landed again on April 10, ending Artemis II’s mission. So what’s next?
A lot, as it turns out. NASA spent the first quarter of 2026 to reorganize its plans to accomplish more tasks and present more often, and there are good plans to excel in agency work.
There are three major prongs: returning men to the moon, nuclear power in spaceand, finally, a place to live on the moon. NASA is working on the technology that will help make all of this possible, and right now, it’s a big matter of getting it all done on time.
Artemis III: A pre-lunar landing experiment
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is shown here from one of the cameras mounted on its sun-aligned wings.
Artemis I sent the Orion capsule around the moon to test its capabilities. Artemis II put astronauts in the Orion capsule and sent them to the moon, breaking the record for the longest distance traveled by humans from Earth. Next up is Artemis III.
The original plan for Artemis III was to return humans to the moon, and was scheduled for launch in 2028. That is no longer the case. Artemis III is now a test mission that will see crews connect with lunar settlers in low Earth orbit and probes in preparation for Artemis IV, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2028. According to NASA, the test is planned for “one or both commercial astronauts from SpaceX and Blue Origin.”
Artemis III is scheduled for launch in 2027 and will use the same Orion capsule and SLS rocket system that launched the Artemis I and II missions. The 2027 timeline reduces the gap between launches to just over one year. This is part of a shakeup, where NASA wants to do more launches at shorter intervals to maintain momentum while increasing astronaut safety.
It’s still early days, and many device details haven’t been announced yet. The process is well underway, as NASA has returned its launcher to the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building to be prepared for the launch of Artemis III, and the agency has released its next main stage — the largest part of the SLS rocket — from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
SR-1 Freedom: A nuclear-powered spacecraft headed for Mars
SR-1 Freedom is NASA’s codename for a nuclear-powered spacecraft scheduled for launch in 2028.
NASA is working on more than just Artemis III, and arguably, the most important mission for the upcoming moon base is SR-1 Freedom. NASA announced SR-1 Freedom at a press conference in March, and the premise is simple: The agency is building the first nuclear-powered spacecraft.
According to NASA, nuclear power is essential for future travel and space, as liquid fuel only gets you so far and solar power is not feasible for the types of missions NASA wants to build.
SR-1 Freedom is scheduled for launch in December 2028, and its first destination is Mars. NASA says the SR-1 Freedom will enter orbit, break free from Earth’s gravity and use nuclear fission to generate electricity to get there.
The use of nuclear materials requires some close cooperation with the US Department of Energy, as NASA needs uranium to power its nuclear spacecraft. This process is also already underway, but needs to be approved by law.
“Our program will be tested, reviewed and approved by multiple safety agencies,” a NASA spokesperson told CNET. “Along with the DOE, NASA will comply with the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act to ensure that potential impacts on the environment are considered. Safety procedures are important and are considered in all aspects of the program, including reactor design, testing, manufacturing and operation.
“We will also seek to identify and mitigate risks early in the system design process and work proactively to ensure the safety of the public, workers and the environment,” the spokesperson said.
Once it reaches Mars, it will release the Skyfall payload, a trio of drones equipped with cameras and sensors, to search the planet for groundwater, collect navigational data for future Martians, and explore potential habitats for humans.
NASA has not yet specified whether the SR-1 Freedom will return to Earth, and says “the details of the mission are still being developed.”
There are many implications of having a nuclear-powered spacecraft, including the ability to travel long distances on light fuel. That paves the way for larger payloads to Mars, including human travel, and eventually, to go even further into the solar system with spacecraft powerful enough to return to Earth.
SR-1 Freedom is also a major test to see if NASA’s nuclear technology works and the data collected is used to build nuclear-powered machines, including additional spacecraft and, most importantly, nuclear reactors for power bases on the moon and Mars.
NASA says this is an important technology to develop because solar energy does not work well on the moon or Mars. Even the best lunar landing sites still have to contend with the moon’s 14-day night-night cycle, and dust storms on Mars can blot out the sun for weeks at a time. To build a base in any place with human presence, nuclear power is the best option.
Heating System: A human habitation on the moon
In March, NASA shared this artist’s idea of what the moon’s base might look like.
All of the above is intended to support the main mission: NASA’s Ignition Program. This massive, widespread program took NASA nearly 5 hours to announce at three press conferences in late March, and is expected to cost $20 billion and be completed by 2033.
The plan includes a number of things, including building a new space station after the International Space Station is in place he fell into the middle Pacific Oceanconduct a number of scientific experiments to learn more about the space and missions of Artemis and the SR-1 Liberty.
Ignition’s end is the moon’s core, and most of the other things NASA has announced further that mission to some degree. The range of the Ignition is really big. NASA is completing this program in three phases, and each phase requires a number of things to happen.
- Phase one: Building, testing and learning. NASA researches everything from lunar landings to nuclear power, while sending a variety of missions, space probes and research technology to gather as much data as possible. In a technical document, NASA says the first phase includes 25 launches, 21 moon landings and sending more than 4,000 kilograms of materials and equipment to the lunar surface.
According to a NASA spokesperson, that includes drones to look up as part of the MoonFall mission, autonomous rovers, communication relays and “night survival” and power demonstrations. - Phase two: 27 additional launches, 24 landings and 60,000 pounds of equipment and materials headed for our nearest celestial neighbor. NASA’s goal here is to establish early infrastructure, including an unmanned structure and equipment.
- Phase three: It promises a continued human presence on the moon, similar to a continued human presence in orbit with the ISS. This phase includes heavy infrastructure, nuclear power, a vehicle for astronauts and all the other things needed for a permanent lunar base. This phase promises 29 launches, 28 moon landings and 150,000 kilograms of payload bound to the lunar surface.
For those keeping score, that’s 81 launches, 73 moon landings and 214,000 kilograms (about 236 tons) of material. NASA’s plan addresses nearly all the technology and research needed to accomplish the mission, including filling existing technology gaps, studying how to deal with the lunar environment and the long-term effects of living on the lunar surface.
It’s a big task, but NASA administrator Jared Isaacman is adamant that NASA can pull it off.
“We have the vision, the resources and the knowledge,” Isaacman said on the X site. “Now we’re moving beyond presentations and PowerPoint.”
