Artemis II Launches After $93 Billion NASA Program Marred by Delays

After a 14-year odyssey marked by $93 billion in costs and repeated delays, NASA's Artemis II mission finally launched on February 6, 2026.

“As we have been reporting on Ars, NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission has been going rather well so far”

Ars Technica

The mission served as a direct test of the SLS and Orion capsule with humans aboard for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Ars Technica

While Artemis II did not include a lunar landing, the flight demonstrated core capabilities needed for sustained lunar exploration.

The crew represented a diverse group that would travel beyond the Moon's far side.

The Artemis program has proven extraordinarily expensive, with $93 billion spent between 2012 and 2025.

The GAO found nearly $7 billion in overruns across three Artemis projects.

CNN en Español

Orion alone showed a $360 million overrun in the last year.

Critics questioned whether the SLS was affordable at all.

NASA is grappling with how to deliver on the lunar surface exploration promised by the 2019 architecture.

“Artemis: The United States spent $93 billion to reach the Moon before China”

Science et vie

Both SpaceX and Blue Origin have pitched ideas to accelerate delivery.

NASA has removed the Gateway docking requirement.

Lori Glaze told Ars Technica they have brought proposals about simplifying requirements.