If you were enthralled by the Artemis II mission that in 2026 sent four astronauts on a trailblazing journey around the moon, get ready for more lunar excitement in the years ahead.
In fact, those eager to know where things stand with NASA's ambitious campaign to send humanity back to the moon for the first time in decades can tune into a news conference today (Oct. 23.)
At the briefing, NASA leaders will provide an update as plans progress on the next mission under the lunar campaign, known as Artemis III. The U.S. space agency is also in the midst of setting the stage for the first phase of building a lunar outpost it refers to as "Moon Base," which will enable humanity's longterm presence on Earth's natural satellite ahead of trips to Mars.
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Here's how you can watch live coverage as NASA leaders discuss updates on the next steps under the Artemis program.
NASA to provide update on Artemis timeline
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will lead a news conference set for 2 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 23, in which he and other agency officials are due to provide an update on the Artemis lunar campaign.
Ready for an Artemis update?
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) October 22, 2026
Tune in Friday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. ET (1800 UTC) to hear our latest progress and accelerated plans for Artemis lunar missions.
Watch live: https://t.co/EePpimRqsU pic.twitter.com/GCFmo57Wxj
Taking place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the briefing will include updates on both the next mission under the program, set for 2027, as well as "how plans to return American astronauts to the moon by 2028 are progressing," NASA said in a news release.
How to watch NASA leaders discuss moon missions
Coverage of the news conference will be available to stream on a variety of platforms, including NASA's social media channels and streaming services that have partnered with the agency.
That includes the NASA+ streaming service, NASA's YouTube channel, social media site X, discovery+ and Amazon Prime.
Livestream: Watch coverage of NASA news conference
What is NASA's Artemis moon program?
NASA's Artemis program represents the agency's ambitious objective to return American astronauts to the surface of the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. While some landers have made it to the moon, no human has stepped foot on Earth's celestial neighbor since the iconic Apollo program came to an end in 1972.
Under the multibillion-dollar Artemis campaign, NASA aims to not just put boots on the lunar ground before leaving, but to build a $20 billion dollar outpost it refers to as "Moon Base" where astronauts can live and work longterm.
The ultimate objective of NASA's Artemis program is to send astronauts, technology and vehicles to the moon to inform how the agency might carry out the first crewed expeditions to Mars.
NASA teams make program on Artemis III
NASA's impending news conference comes as preparations continue for the next mission under the lunar program, known as Artemis III.
That mission – the final test flight before a moon landing – will in 2027 send a crew of four astronauts to Earth orbit in NASA's Orion spacecraft, where they will attempt to dock with and test two lunar landers from commercial spaceflight companies Blue Origin and SpaceX.
In the latest update on the mission's progress, NASA said in an Oct. 13 blog post that teams are continuing to stack and integrate the massive Space Launch System rocket that will propel NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as well as Italian Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency to orbit. That work is taking place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the SLS rocket – the most powerful NASA has ever developed will get off the ground – with the crewed Orion capsule perched on top.
Blue Origin's and SpaceX's lunar landers would launch on each company's own rockets – the New Glenn and Starship, respectively.
NASA releases more images from Artemis II
NASA also recently released even more data and images from the historic Artemis II mission that captivated the world in April.
The 10-day mission sent NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, on a mission that took them around the moon without landing.
The latest trove of data includes more than 800 gigabytes of Artemis II lunar science, some of which had never been previously released, NASA said in an Oct. 7 blog post. The data, including 11,000 full-resolution images and video, have been uploaded to NASA’s Planetary Data System public archive.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA to share Artemis III moon mission update. How to watch live
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