NASA assembles full-scale Moon mission mockup for Artemis 3 training
A full-scale mockup has been assembled at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Astronauts will use it to prepare for upcoming Artemis missions, including Artemis 3 in late 2027.
The mockup lets them practice key stuff like docking and life support, basically all the things they'll need to know before heading to the Moon.
Blue Moon mockup beside Orion simulator
A mockup of the new lander sits right next to NASA's Orion capsule simulator, so astronauts can train on both and get comfortable moving between spacecraft.
Blue Moon is one of two landers NASA picked for its Human Landing System program (the other is SpaceX's Starship), and it's the first to deliver a cabin model for training.
Meanwhile, the smaller cargo version, Blue Moon MK1, has completed vacuum tests and aims for an uncrewed Moon mission later this year, if Blue Origin sorts out some rocket issues.