Robots in Artemis

Where Artemis stands in 2026

NASA's Artemis page records that Artemis II launched in April 2026 on a crewed voyage of nearly 10 days around the Moon, the programme's first flight with people aboard. The same page describes Artemis III as a 2027 demonstration in low Earth orbit to test rendezvous and docking with the commercial crew landers NASA has ordered from industry, and says NASA continues to target 2028 for the first Artemis landing. That sequence gives robots a clear job in the meantime. They scout landing areas, test technology on the real surface and carry equipment that crews will rely on, so that fewer surprises wait for the first astronauts to step out.

Commercial landers as delivery services

Much of NASA's robotic traffic to the Moon now travels through Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS. Under this initiative, NASA buys delivery of its instruments from American companies rather than building and flying its own landers. NASA's CLPS page, updated in July 2026, says it has awarded 17 lunar deliveries to five vendors from a pool of 13 eligible companies, under contracts with a combined maximum value of $2.6 billion through November 2028. Each delivery puts agency science on a lander designed, built and operated by a company, which is a different relationship from the agency-built missions of earlier decades. It also gives scientists more frequent chances to reach the surface.

Moon Base missions and scouting drones

In May 2026 NASA set out a series of Moon Base missions built on these deliveries. Its update describes Moon Base I, targeted for launch no earlier than autumn 2026 on a commercial lander, carrying instruments and location-tracking equipment to Shackleton Connecting Ridge. The same update says Moon Base II is to deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo, including a small commercial rover. NASA also describes MoonFall, a set of four drones due to launch in 2028 to survey potential landing sites with high-resolution imagery. Together these missions put robots to work mapping, measuring and preparing the ground for people, starting near the south pole.

Rovers that keep working between crews

Crewed rovers will spend much of their lives without a crew. NASA's update names two lunar terrain vehicles selected for development by different companies, and says one of them is capable of manual, autonomous or teleoperated driving. A rover that can be driven from Earth or drive itself can move cargo, reposition instruments and inspect sites in the months between landings, then carry astronauts when they arrive. That dual role puts robotics at the centre of surface operations. Teams on Earth will need to plan rover drives around lighting, communications and power, as they already do for uncrewed rovers, while keeping the vehicle ready for people.

Sources and further reading

• Moon to Mars: NASA's Artemis Program — NASA.
  NASA's overview of Artemis missions, from the crewed Artemis II flight to the target date for the first landing.
• Commercial Lunar Payload Services — NASA.
  NASA's page on buying Moon deliveries from US companies: contracts, vendors, payloads and upcoming landings.
• NASA Provides Update on Moon Base Rovers, Landers, Missions — NASA.
  May 2026 update on Moon Base landers, lunar terrain vehicle awards and the MoonFall scouting drones.

Common questions

Why does NASA send robots before astronauts?

Robots can scout landing areas, measure conditions and test equipment on the real surface at far lower risk than a crewed flight. What they find shapes where crews land, what they carry and which systems need more work before people depend on them.

Do other space agencies take part in these robotic missions?

Yes. NASA's May 2026 update says the European Space Agency and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute are taking part in Moon Base III, which is to fly on a commercial lander to study lunar swirls, the light patches seen on parts of the surface.