Why haven’t we been back to the Moon since 1972?
Mostly money and priorities. Once the Space Race was won, budgets shrank and NASA moved on to the Space Shuttle and space stations. Now Artemis is heading back, with a landing targeted for 2028.
Quick Answer
Apollo 17 left the Moon in December 1972, and no one has walked there since. The main reasons were money and priorities. Apollo cost the United States $25.8 billion, about $309 billion in 2025 dollars, according to The Planetary Society, and once the race with the Soviet Union was won, political support faded. Facing budget cuts, NASA canceled three planned Apollo missions in 1970 and turned to Skylab, the Space Shuttle and, later, the International Space Station. Now it’s going back. In April 2026, NASA’s Artemis II carried four astronauts around the Moon and home on a 10-day mission, the first crewed lunar voyage since Apollo. As of September 2026, NASA plans Artemis III for 2027 to test lunar landers in Earth orbit, and is targeting 2028 for Artemis IV to put astronauts back on the surface.
By the Numbers
Key Facts
- Last Moon walk
- Apollo 17, December 1972
- Main reasons
- Cost and shifting priorities after the Space Race
- Apollo’s price
- $25.8 billion, about $309 billion in 2025 dollars
- Next landing
- NASA’s target: Artemis IV in 2028
Timeline
- July 1969
Apollo 11 lands, and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the Moon.
- 1970
Facing budget cuts, NASA cancels three planned Apollo missions.
- December 1972
Apollo 17’s crew leaves the Moon, the last people to walk there so far.
- 1973 onward
NASA turns to Skylab, the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.
- April 2026
Artemis II flies four astronauts around the Moon and back.
- 2027 (planned)
Artemis III tests lunar landers in Earth orbit.
- 2028 (target)
Artemis IV aims to land astronauts on the Moon.
The price of Apollo
The United States spent $25.8 billion on Apollo between 1960 and 1973, about $309 billion in today’s money, with spending peaking in 1966. Once the goal of beating the Soviet Union to the Moon was met, it was hard to justify that pace of spending.
A change of priorities
NASA canceled three planned Apollo landings in 1970 and focused on new goals closer to home: the Skylab space station, the reusable Space Shuttle and, later, the International Space Station.
The road back
In April 2026, Artemis II carried NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen around the Moon, traveling farther from Earth than any humans before. NASA plans to test lunar landers in Earth orbit on Artemis III in 2027 and is targeting 2028 for a landing on Artemis IV.
Myth vs. Fact
MythWe never went back because the landings were faked.
FactSix Apollo missions brought back 842 pounds of Moon rocks and soil that scientists still study. Money and priorities kept us away.
MythNASA hasn’t sent people near the Moon since Apollo.
FactIn April 2026, Artemis II flew four astronauts around the Moon.
The Bottom Line
We haven’t returned to the Moon since 1972 mainly because of cost and changing priorities, not because we couldn’t. Artemis II flew astronauts around the Moon in 2026, and NASA is aiming to land again in 2028.
Correction
September 27, 2026: An earlier version of this story said Artemis II lasted about nine days. NASA describes it as a 10-day mission. We also now describe 2028 as NASA’s target for the next landing, not a firm date.
Read our corrections policy.
Sources & Further Reading
- The Planetary Society — How much did the Apollo program cost?
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum — Ending Apollo: Why Did We Stop Going to the Moon?
- NASA — 50 Years Ago: NASA Cancels Apollo 20 Mission
- NASA — Artemis II: NASA’s First Crewed Lunar Flyby in 50 Years
- NASA — NASA Marches Toward Artemis III Mission in 2027
- NASA JSC Curation — Lunar Rocks and Soils from Apollo Missions