Why did NASA move the Starship lunar-lander test to 2027 and target a Moon landing in 2028?
NASA’s 2021 award made a refuelled Starship derivative central to its lunar-lander plan, but the flight campaign required corrective actions after Flight 1 and continued to encounter ship-reliability setbacks, including the Flight 7 Block 2 breakup. In February 2026, NASA reshaped Artemis around a 2027 Earth-orbit docking test with commercial landers and a targeted Artemis IV lunar landing in 2028. The inspector general subsequently reported at least a two-year Starship HLS development delay, and NASA has specified a V3 lander test article for the 2027 demonstration. Treat 2028 as the program target following that demonstration, rather than as a completed landing commitment.
Trace the chain
Lander schedule
- 1NASA's lander awardAnnouncement
NASA picks Starship as the Artemis lunar lander in a $2.89 billion contract
NASA chose a Starship derivative over bids from Blue Origin and Dynetics to land the next astronauts on the Moon, a firm fixed-price award covering an uncrewed demonstration landing and a crewed landing at the lunar south pole. The design depends on refuelling Starship in Earth orbit with liquid oxygen and methane, and SpaceX agreed to self-fund more than half of development. It is the reason NASA's Moon schedule now rides on the Starship test campaign.
NASA ·
The firm-fixed price, milestone-based contract total award value is $2.89 billion.
Why it matters here. Selecting a refuelled Starship derivative as the lunar lander made progress in integrated Starship flight relevant to NASA’s schedule.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
- 3FAA corrective actionsRegulatory
FAA closes the Flight 1 mishap investigation with 63 corrective actions before a second launch
The FAA said SpaceX must implement every corrective action affecting public safety and obtain a licence modification before flying again; the actions included hardware redesigns to prevent leaks and fires, a more robust launch pad, extra design reviews, more testing of the autonomous flight safety system and tighter change control. SpaceX, which had already stacked Ship 25 on Booster 9, said it had built a hot-staging separation system and electric thrust vector control for the next flight. The licence came on November 15.
Spaceflight Now ·
“SpaceX must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and apply for and receive a license modification from the FAA that addresses all safety, environmental and other applicable regulatory…
Why it matters here. The investigation’s corrective actions enabled a revised vehicle and launch system to demonstrate successful stage separation.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
- 4Hot staging worksLaunch
Flight 2: all 33 engines burn to staging, hot-staging works, both stages are lost
On the second flight all 33 Raptors ran through a full-duration ascent for the first time, the new hot-staging separation succeeded, and the ship reached about 150 km and 24,000 km/h, the first Starship in space. The booster broke up during its boostback burn about three and a half minutes in, and the ship's flight ended when telemetry was lost near the end of its burn after more than eight minutes, with the flight termination system triggered. The new water-cooled flame deflector protected the pad.
SpaceX ·
Starship's six second stage Raptor engines all started successfully and powered the vehicle to an altitude of ~150 km and a velocity of ~24,000 km/h, becoming the first Starship to reach outer space and nearly…
Why it matters here. Successful full-duration ascent and hot staging allowed the next flight to pursue near-orbital operations and an internal propellant-transfer test.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
- 5First near-orbit testLaunch
Flight 3: Starship completes its ascent burn, opens the payload door and reenters for the first time before breaking up
The third flight put Starship on its planned near-orbital trajectory for the first time, opened and closed the payload door and ran an internal propellant transfer demonstration, though the planned in-space Raptor relight was skipped because of roll rates. The booster lit several engines for its first landing burn before breaking up at about 462 m. Starship's first entry from space, streamed live over Starlink, ended with loss of signal about 49 minutes into the flight. NASA said the propellant transfer demonstration operations, a milestone under the Artemis lander contract, were completed and the joint team was reviewing the data.
SpaceX ·
Starship went on to experience its first ever entry from space, providing valuable data on heating and vehicle control during hypersonic reentry.
Why it matters here. The first planned near-orbital trajectory and internal propellant-transfer operation showed progress, but did not eliminate later ship-reliability risk.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
- 7NASA resets ArtemisAnnouncement
NASA reshapes Artemis: a 2027 Earth-orbit mission to test landers with Orion, Moon landing moves to Artemis IV in 2028
NASA added a crewed mission in 2027 in which Orion will dock in low Earth orbit with one or both commercial landers, SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon, and test lunar spacesuits, and moved the first landing to Artemis IV in 2028. Administrator Jared Isaacman framed it as raising mission cadence and standardising the vehicle configuration. The change ties Starship's near-term orbital and refuelling tests directly to NASA's schedule.
NASA ·
This includes standardizing vehicle configuration, adding an additional mission in 2027, and undertaking at least one surface landing every year thereafter.
Why it matters here. NASA’s new Earth-orbit test and 2028 target made the scale of Starship development slippage central to the revised sequence.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
- 8OIG confirms delayReport
NASA OIG reports at least two-year HLS development delay
NASA's Office of Inspector General reported that SpaceX's Artemis III Starship development had been delayed at least two years since the July 2021 contract award. The report identified vehicle-to-vehicle cryogenic-propellant transfer as a major HLS milestone.
NASA Office of Inspector General ·
Since award of the Appendix H, Option A contract in July 2021, SpaceX’s development of the Artemis III Starship has been delayed at least 2 years, with additional delays expected.
Why it matters here. The finding of at least a two-year delay made a defined V3 test article a concrete milestone for the 2027 demonstration.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
- 9V3 demo specifiedAnnouncement
NASA specifies V3 lander test article for Artemis III
NASA said the 2027 Artemis III Earth-orbit demonstration would use a Starship Version 3 lander test article with a nose docking system. The test would evaluate Orion and Starship interactions during rendezvous and docking operations.
NASA ·
SpaceX’s Starship lander test article will use a Starship Version 3, currently in production and testing, with an added docking system installed on the nose of the 171-foot (52-m) spacecraft, enabling NASA and SpaceX…
Why it matters here. Specifying a V3 lander article with a nose docking system makes V3 flight maturity directly relevant before the planned Earth-orbit test.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
- 10V3 reaches orbitLaunch
Flight 14 reaches orbit and deploys 26 Starlink V3 satellites
SpaceX launched Ship 41 and Super Heavy Booster 21 from Starbase on Flight 14, its first attempt to reach orbit. A single Raptor vacuum engine shut down early during the upper stage's ascent burn; Ship 41 burned its remaining five engines longer to reach its planned passively safe suborbital trajectory, then made an orbit-insertion burn and entered orbit, where it deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX said it limited time on orbit out of caution given the engine issue, performed Starship's first deorbit burn, and splashed down in the northern Pacific; Booster 21, which also lost one Raptor during its initial climb, splashed down in the Gulf of America.
SpaceX ·
On Monday, September 28 at 7:48 a.m. CT, Starship lifted off from Starbase, Texas on its 14th flight and first attempt to go to orbit.
Why it matters here. Flight 14’s orbital satellite deployment and subsequent deorbit and splashdown provided a more advanced V3 flight milestone than the prior payload demonstration.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
What pushes back
- 2Flight 1 loss
Flight 1: the first integrated Starship clears the pad, loses engines, tumbles and is destroyed after four minutes
The first full stack lifted off from Starbase at 8:33 a.m. CT and reached about 39 km before multiple Raptor engines failed, the stages never separated, the vehicle began to tumble and the flight termination system was commanded on both stages. The launch also tore up the concrete under the pad and scattered debris, which fed the FAA investigation that followed.
SpaceX ·
The vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble.
What it pushes against. The first stack’s destruction made safety and vehicle corrections necessary before the campaign could advance.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
- 6Block 2 breaks up
Flight 7: second booster catch, but the upgraded Starship is lost and debris falls over Turks and Caicos
The first flight of the redesigned Block 2 ship ended after about eight and a half minutes when a fire in the aft section caused the vehicle to break apart, with debris visible from the Turks and Caicos Islands and airliners diverted. The booster was caught by the tower for the second time. SpaceX opened an investigation with the FAA and set up a debris hotline; the FAA required a mishap investigation before the next flight.
SpaceX ·
Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly.
What it pushes against. The Block 2 ship’s breakup highlighted reliability risks as NASA’s subsequent revised sequence added a 2027 Earth-orbit lander test before a 2028 Artemis IV landing.
SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit
Changes to this chain
- Proposal #178 accepted (publish:spacex-starship-test-flights): replace step 10: [cause] V3 reaches orbit -> spacex-starship-test-flights#1577: Flight 14’s orbital satellite deployment and subsequent deorbit and splashdown provided a more advanced V3 flight milestone than the prior payload demonstration.
- Proposal #151 accepted (verify:v2): why of step 10 -> Flight 13's real-satellite deployment and intact ship splashdown provide a current V3 flight result, but they are not themselves an Orion–lander rendezvous-and-docking demonstration.
- Proposal #27 accepted (verify:v1): why of step 6 -> The Block 2 ship’s breakup highlighted reliability risks as NASA’s subsequent revised sequence added a 2027 Earth-orbit lander test before a 2028 Artemis IV landing.
Timelines in this chain
A chain is written by the editor from entries already published on the timelines above, each of which was read against its source before publication. The chain changes when those entries do. Data and terms.