when will astronauts land on the moon

Astronauts are already heading to the Moon right now : NASA’s Artemis II mission launched as a crewed lunar flyby in early April 2026, but it is not a landing mission. The next planned actual Moon landing is currently being targeted for 2028 , though that timeline is still considered ambitious and could shift.

Quick Scoop

• Artemis II : crewed trip around the Moon, not a landing, about 10 days long.

• Artemis III : NASA had planned it for a landing, but reports say the mission has been reshaped into a 2027 docking/test mission instead.

• First return landing target : 2028 is the current public target for a crewed lunar landing.

What that means

If you mean “when will humans walk on the Moon again?” , the best current answer is 2028, at the earliest target date. If you mean “when will astronauts go near the Moon?” , that has already started with Artemis II.

Why it may slip

Moon-landing schedules depend on the readiness of the rocket, spacecraft, and lunar lander, and the reports note that NASA’s timeline remains ambitious. So the date to watch is 2028 , but space programs often move slower than planned.