Not as good as a cancellation of SLS, but it’s a redirection toward some semblance of programmatic sanity.
NASA just announced a MAJOR overhaul of the Artemis program. Here’s what’s changed, according to @NASAAdmin @rookisaacman:
— Kristin Fisher (@KristinFisher) February 27, 2026
NEW MISSIONS:
Artemis 3 is no longer a moon landing 🤯 It's now a crewed test mission in Low Earth Orbit in 2027 – docking with SpaceX's Starship and/or…
[Update a couple minutes later]
Eric Berger has the story.
And, of course, Boeing continues the lies: ” “The SLS core stage remains the world’s most powerful rocket stage, and the only one that can carry American astronauts directly to the moon and beyond in a single launch.”
[Update a while later]
Northrop Grumman watching EUS die while their SRBs keeping losing nozzles https://t.co/lNfxd8qA1K pic.twitter.com/aYm2PFk8PP
— Space Koala (@SpaceKoala) February 27, 2026
I do wonder if it isn’t too late, but yeah. If you aren’t going to cancel SLS, then at least make it effective. There’s not walking away from sunk costs but worse, NASA was continuing the same strategy hoping it may one day work out for them. Glad to see the shakeup.
Unless one or the other are dragging the SLS out behind the VAB to shoot it dead, it’s not an improvement.
It’s arranging deck chairs on RMS Titanic.
Without analyzing the announcement a lot, it seems to me like something of a mild compromise…a way to use up the SLS hardware (keeping Ted Cruz happy), while eliminating stupidities like Gateway and the new mobile pad, eliminating a lot of risk to the Artemis II astronauts, and doing things that actually work towards getting to the Moon.
Without much analysis it seems to me that they could accomplish all the goals of the new SLS mission set with other vehicles, but maybe I’m wrong.
I noticed BOLE was not discussed.
Clues to be had:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=42455.0;attach=2471813;image
One of the clues is apparently, the upper stage is a dual engine Centaur V.
Would a Centaur V be able to carry enough fuel and loiter long enough to put the Orion into LLO?
Because Orion appears to have enough propellant to either to LOI or TEI but not both.
If Centaur could do the insertion, that means the lander doesn’t have to drag its ass all the way back to NRHO and can be smaller and/or lighter as a consequence…