SpaceX co‑founder Elon Isaacman told a House Appropriations subcommittee that NASA’s Artemis III will not launch before late 2027. Both SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon have received multibillion‑dollar contracts to deliver human‑rated landers. The delay stems from the need to test docking and refueling in lunar orbit before a full crewed lunar landing scheduled for 2028, and before the next generation of Starship rockets can fly.

Both landers require in‑space refueling to reach the Moon, a capability absent from Earth‑orbit missions. Isaacman emphasized taxpayers’ heavy investment, urging both companies to spend beyond the contract value. Starship and Blue Moon are larger than Apollo’s lunar module and could be refueled at the surface for repeated crew and cargo trips during future operations in the Moon.

The interface between Orion and the landers will be tested in a docking exercise similar to Apollo 9’s module separation, but with advanced life‑support, independent engines, and a full cockpit. Neither SpaceX nor Blue Origin has disclosed progress on these systems, leaving NASA to decide whether to pursue a full crewed lander launch later in 2028 missions.

If the landers fail to meet readiness, NASA could opt for a reduced Artemis III that merely docks without a crewed descent. The agency’s leadership will weigh the vendors’ timelines against the next‑generation Starship V3 flights and Blue Moon’s uncrewed polar landing. A decision will finalize the mission profile before 2028 for the future lunar base development.