Artemis IV Ready for 2028 Moon Landing Despite Spacesuit Delays
Nothing can stop the Artemis program's trip to the Moon. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) came under fire following a report released by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). NASA announced on Monday that it granted contracts "to Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace in 2022 to compete to provide next-generation spacesuits for Artemis lunar missions and ISS operations."
Delays in the Artemis Program
However, in 2024, NASA and the latter company came to a mutual agreement to remove its "task orders" due to an inability to meet the ISS's demonstration schedule. This leaves only Axiom with the task of fulfilling its contract for Artemis IV's scheduled lunar landing in 2028.
The OIG report stated that NASA's new spacesuit approach is the reason for "delays in the program." Space.com notes that ISS spacesuits are significantly out of date, making them unsuitable for Artemis astronauts and moonwalks. Said report revealed that the crewed Moon landing for Artemis IV could be postponed until 2031. It added that NASA struggled to create spacesuits for moonwalks, facing delays in the process, which OIG cited as the reason the agency couldn't meet the previous target for another Moon landing in 2024.
Very much appreciate the OIG work. As I posted months ago, NASA is not taking a passive role in any component of America's return to the lunar surface and building a Moon base. We are reviewing where NASA can do better, how we can provide relief where appropriate to burdensome…
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) April 21, 2026
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman insisted in a post on X, following the OIG report on Monday, that the next-generation spacesuits will be ready for the Artemis IV lunar landing:
"I am confident that when NASA is ready to land on the moon in 2028, our astronauts will be wearing Axiom suits," Isaacman said, before adding that NASA will review "how we can provide relief where appropriate to burdensome requirements, [and] we can expand capabilities over time."
Artemis IV Will Explore the Lunar Surface in 2028
Axiom CEO Jonathan Cirtain responded to Space.com's query on Tuesday with this statement:
"We are working toward in-space, spacesuit evaluation demonstrations in 2027, [while] actively engaged with NASA. ... Our focus remains on delivering a safe, capable spacesuit that enables American astronauts to return to, and explore, the lunar surface in 2028."
Review of Axiom's new spacesuit is slated for later this year.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 11:07 AM.