Moon plans: USA and China
Five steps toward a crewed Moon landing, side by side · last verified 2026-10-02
How to read this page
Dates come from official statements and news reports, and they can change. Each box shows the first public target we found, what has happened since, and the sources. “Months late” counts whole months from the original target to the date a step was achieved, to the current target, or (for overdue steps with no new date) to today. Counts above each timeline cover only the five steps shown, so they describe these claims, not overall progress. The two programs are built differently, and some steps are partly alike, so read the notes. Last verified 2026-10-02. Found a mistake or a better source? matthew@mytestingarena.com.
United States
NASA, with SpaceX and Blue Origin building the landers
Crewed landing target
Early 2028
First stated: by 2024 (March 2019) · status Slipped
- 3 achieved
- 0 on track
- 1 slipped
- 1 unknown
Scroll sideways inside this box to see all five steps.
Heavy-lift rocket flying
SLS rocket, first flight (Artemis I)
Achieved
- Original target
- End of 2017
- Achieved
- Nov 16, 2022
- Months late
- 59 months late
Flew uncrewed in Nov 2022.
Crewed spacecraft flown
Orion capsule, first crewed flight (Artemis II)
Achieved
- Original target
- November 2024
- Achieved
- Apr 1, 2026
- Months late
- 17 months late
Four astronauts flew in April 2026. This is the same flight as the lunar trip below.
Lunar lander tested
Starship lander, uncrewed Moon landing
Unknown
- Original target
- Mar 2027 (earliest date found)
- Months late
- Not applicable
Nothing built for a crewed landing has flown to the Moon yet. Artemis III (2027) will test docking with the landers in Earth orbit.
Crewed trip to the Moon
Artemis II lunar flyby
Achieved
- Original target
- November 2024
- Achieved
- Apr 1, 2026
- Months late
- 17 months late
A 10-day flight around the Moon (a flyby, not an orbit). Crews first orbit the Moon on the landing mission.
Crewed landing
First crewed landing (now Artemis IV)
Slipped
- Original target
- By 2024
- Months late
- 38 months late against the new date
Original target 2024; the date has moved several times.
China
China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)
Crewed landing target
Before 2030
First stated: by 2030 (May 2023) · status On track
- 1 achieved
- 3 on track
- 0 slipped
- 1 unknown
Scroll sideways inside this box to see all five steps.
Heavy-lift rocket flying
Long March 10A rocket, first orbital flight
On track
- Original target
- 2026
- Months late
- Not late
Only a low-altitude test (Feb 2026) so far.
Crewed spacecraft flown
Mengzhou spacecraft, first flight (uncrewed)
On track
- Original target
- 2026
- Months late
- Not late
A crewed Mengzhou flight date has not been announced.
Lunar lander tested
Lanyue lander, ground landing and takeoff test
Achieved
- Original target
- No public target found
- Achieved
- August 2025
- Months late
- Not applicable
Done on the ground in Hebei on Aug 6, 2025. Not yet flown in space.
Crewed trip to the Moon
Crewed Mengzhou flight to the Moon
Unknown
- Original target
- No separate date announced
- Months late
- Not applicable
The plan flies Mengzhou and Lanyue together to lunar orbit on the landing mission.
Crewed landing
First crewed landing
On track
- Original target
- By 2030
- Months late
- Not late
CMSA repeated the goal in May 2026.
Other nations have flown uncrewed lunar missions (India, Japan) but have no crewed landing planned before the 2030s.
More detail
T-ZERO is an unofficial fan project and is not affiliated with NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin or the China Manned Space Agency.