Everything we know about NASA's Artemis III Moon-lander test mission
What's the story
NASA has unveiled its detailed plan for the upcoming Artemis III Moon-lander test flight. The agency presented the concept of operations during a press conference at Kennedy Space Center. Jeremy Parsons, NASA's Artemis program manager, emphasized the importance as well as complexity of this mission in their lunar exploration plans.
Mission complexity
New Glenn will launch Blue Moon into LEO
The Artemis III mission will involve three of the world's most powerful rockets: NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), SpaceX's Starship, and Blue Origin's New Glenn.
These rockets will be launched from Florida's Space Coast.
If all goes according to plan, New Glenn will be the first to launch, taking Blue Origin's Blue Moon lunar lander into low Earth orbit (LEO).
Astronaut launch
SLS will place Orion into highly elliptical orbit
After Blue Moon, SLS will launch the Artemis III astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft.
The crew includes NASA's Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, and European Space Agency's Luca Parmitano.
Parsons said SLS will place Orion into a highly elliptical orbit that comes as close as 29km from Earth and goes as far away as 1,806km.
Docking operations
Artemis III crew will spend 2 days checking out Orion
The Artemis III crew will spend two days checking out Orion and its systems in LEO before rendezvousing with Blue Moon on Flight Day 3 at an altitude of 439km.
Parsons said during this time, the crew will conduct operations docked with Blue Moon, including entering the lander and evaluating environmental controls and life support systems.
Second rendezvous
SpaceX's Starship will rendezvous with Orion in LEO
The 171-foot-tall upper stage of SpaceX's fully reusable megarocket will launch, with a specially built docking adapter on its nose, and rendezvous with Orion in LEO at an altitude of about 381km on Flight Day 8.
Parsons said this demonstration is shorter than the one with Blue Moon and will provide critical data on docking forces and collaboration strategies.
Mission timeline
NASA aiming for nominal mission length of 14 days
The Artemis III mission will continue for six to nine days after Orion undocks from Starship.
The crew will test their survival suits and conduct various operations, including health assessments, scientific experiments, and technology demonstrations.
Parsons said the nominal mission length is 14 days but could extend up to 17 days.
This work is crucial to ensure everything stays on track for Artemis IV's planned lunar landing in 2028.
Future missions
NASA has yet to decide which lander to use
NASA has yet to decide which of the two privately developed landers, Blue Moon or Starship, will be used for Artemis IV.
The agency is keeping its options open to give both lunar landing partners ample time for preparation ahead of the 2028 mission.
Parsons said, regardless of who goes first, both providers are planning lunar landing missions in 2028.