Three rockets, two landers, and a 14-day trial for the moon

NASA unveiled the operational plan for Artemis III, a 14-day orbital test designed to validate commercial lunar landers before astronauts attempt a moon landing. The agency detailed the mission during a two-hour press conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 23. The plan involves three distinct rocket launches and two separate landers, a sequence program manager Jeremy Parsons described as likely the most complicated launch campaign ever undertaken.

The mission sequence begins with Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launching the Blue Moon lander into low Earth orbit. NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) will follow, carrying the Orion spacecraft with four crew members aboard. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio, and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano. SLS will place Orion in a highly elliptical orbit with a perigee of 18 miles and an apogee of 1,122 miles.

Orion will then perform a burn to stabilize its orbit at approximately 345 miles in altitude. Parsons explained that this adjustment is necessary for thermal stability, as the deep-space capsule faces a harsher thermal environment in low Earth orbit. The crew will spend two days verifying Orion’s systems before rendezvousing with the Blue Moon lander on Flight Day 3 at an altitude of 273 miles.

During a two-day docked period, the astronauts will enter the Blue Moon lander. They will evaluate environmental controls, life support systems, and atmospheric pressure retention. The teams will also test emergency scenarios and dual-vehicle control protocols to prepare Mission Control for the operational demands of the mission.

The third element of the test arrives around Flight Day 6, when SpaceX’s Starship launches with a specialized docking adapter. The 171-foot upper stage is scheduled to meet Orion on Flight Day 8 at an altitude of 237 miles. This encounter will last approximately two hours. The crew will not enter the Starship vehicle but will collect data on docking forces and the mechanical interaction between the two spacecraft.

After undocking from Starship, the mission continues for another six to nine days. The nominal duration is 14 days, though the timeline could extend to 17 days. The crew will use this final phase to evaluate survival suits, a task missed during the 10-day Artemis II flyby in April. They will also conduct health assessments and technology demonstrations before Orion splashes down in the ocean using parachutes.

The data collected during Artemis III is intended to qualify the landers for Artemis IV, a mission planned for 2028 to land astronauts near the moon’s south pole. That mission would mark the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA has not yet selected which lander will fly the 2028 mission. Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the agency is preserving options for both partners to maximize readiness. He added that NASA has no intention of surrendering a viable path to the surface before data and schedule compels a decision.

Both Blue Origin and SpaceX are planning lunar landing missions for 2028. The profiles differ significantly. With Blue Origin, Orion would meet the lander in lunar orbit. With SpaceX, Starship would likely dock with the capsule in Earth orbit and propel it toward the moon. The launch date for Artemis III remains uncertain. NASA is targeting the summer of 2027, but Isaacman told employees in an internal memo last month that the mission is approximately 90 days behind schedule. Parsons identified the lunar lander supply chain as a major challenge, though both executives expressed confidence in resolving the issues.