This shrinks Boeing's role and gives more to SpaceX Starship.

Artemis III (2027) — LEO Docking Test (Almost Unchanged, Now a Perfect Dress Rehearsal)

Before today's proposal (Feb 27 baseline):
Orion (with 4 astronauts) launches on SLS into LEO. It practices rendezvous, docking, and joint operations with one or both commercial Human Landing Systems (HLS) — SpaceX's Starship variant and/or Blue Origin's Blue Moon. Full tests of life support, communications, propulsion, new xEVA suits, and docking procedures. No trip to the Moon. This was explicitly designed as a low-risk "Apollo 9-style" shakedown.

After today's proposal, It is virtually identical, The LEO docking with Starship is exactly the first step of the new landing architecture. Artemis III becomes the ideal rehearsal for the Earth-orbit rendezvous + Starship TLI that Artemis IV will actually fly. No major hardware changes needed for this mission. It still launches in mid-2027 and remains the risk-reduction flight before any landing attempt.

Artemis IV (2028) — First Crewed Lunar Landing (Biggest Change) OLD PLAN

SLS launches Orion + crew on a direct path toward the Moon (using the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage or similar for TLI to send Orion into a near-rectilinear halo orbit or lunar orbit). A pre-launched, refueled Starship HLS would meet Orion in lunar orbit, crew transfers, Starship descends to the surface (South Pole region), spends ~6–7 days on the Moon, ascends, redocks, and Orion returns the crew to Earth.

Artemis IV (2028 NEW)
Completely chagned.

SLS launches Orion + crew only into LEO (no TLI burn from SLS — that expensive upper-stage role is eliminated).
In LEO, Orion docks with a Starship (the HLS variant, already refueled via Starship tankers if needed).
Starship performs the entire TLI burn, propelling the docked Orion + Starship stack all the way to lunar orbit.
In lunar orbit (now likely a simpler low-lunar orbit instead of NRHO), crew transfers to Starship for landing, surface ops, ascent, redock with Orion, and Earth return.