Artemis III Moon Mission Likely Delayed Until 2027, GAO Report Indicates

Significant technical work still pending on SpaceX's Human Landing System and Axiom Space's modernized spacesuits.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has indicated that NASA's Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the moon, is likely to be delayed until at least 2027.
The report cites an ambitious schedule and significant technical work still pending on the Human Landing System (HLS), a variant of SpaceX's Starship, and on the development of modernized spacesuits by Axiom Space.
The HLS, which will transport astronauts to the moon's surface, is dependent on the successful design and testing of the Starship spacecraft and rocket. So far, SpaceX has made limited progress in developing a way to store and transfer propellant while in orbit.
Axiom Space, which is developing the new spacesuits, is still in the early phases of development and has significant work remaining to meet emergency life support requirements.
If the Artemis III mission is delayed until 2027, it would give NASA and its contractors more time to prepare for one of the most iconic space missions of the last fifty years.