NASA Wants to Land Astronauts on the Moon in 2028. Will SpaceX's Starship or Blue Origin's Blue Moon Lander Be Ready in Time?

NASA wants to land astronauts on the moon in 2028. Will SpaceX's Starship or Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander be ready in time?

After Artemis 2, NASA's moon return hinges on two unproven commercial landers, each of which faces major technical and timeline challenges.

After Artemis II, NASA looks to SpaceX, Blue Origin for Moon landings

Washington, United States (AFP) April 11, 2026 With Artemis II successfully completing its historic lunar mission on Friday, NASA is banking on billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for the next step: landing astronauts on the Moon. The Apollo program - which sent the first and only humans to the Moon's surface between 1969 and 1972 - was designed so that only two astronauts could land on the lunar surface for a maximum of a few days.