NASA plans Artemis III lander tests in orbit as 2027 schedule tightens
NASA’s Artemis III plan calls for Orion to dock with Blue Origin and SpaceX test landers in low Earth orbit before a later Moon landing attempt.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
NASA plans to use Artemis III to test two commercial lunar landers in low Earth orbit, with the mission now scheduled for no earlier than summer 2027. NASA Artemis program manager Jeremy Parsons told Ars Technica the flight is meant to retire key risks before a later crewed landing attempt.
NASA announced the Artemis III crew on Tuesday and said Orion would dock with both a Blue Origin lander and a SpaceX Starship lander during the mission. The plan puts lander and launch-vehicle readiness at the center of the schedule, while the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule appear to be on a more defined path.
Parsons said the SLS mobile launcher came through Artemis II in strong condition after changes made following Artemis I. He said booster segments have arrived for processing, while repair work on the launcher is nearly complete, including welding in the flame hole area.
NASA expects that work to finish in early July, Parsons said, and booster stacking should begin in July. The agency also plans a short-stack tanking test before Orion is installed, using the boosters and core stage to check redesigned cryogenic seals in the tail service mast umbilicals.
Artemis III will not use the interim cryogenic propulsion stage because the mission is bound for low Earth orbit rather than the Moon, Parsons said. NASA will instead install a spacer, with metal work under way at United Launch Alliance and welding planned at Marshall Space Flight Center. Parsons said the spacer should reach Kennedy Space Center by December.
For Blue Origin, Artemis III will use what Parsons described as a test article that sits between the company’s Blue Moon Mk 1 and Mk 2 landers. He said it will use the same lunar crew module, avionics, flight software and environmental control and life-support system as the crewed version, but it will not carry the BE-7 cryogenic engines planned for lunar missions.
Instead, the Blue Origin test vehicle will use storable propellants and a reaction-control system because it does not need the thrust required for a Moon trip, Parsons said. He said the vehicle can fly on the current 7-by-2 version of New Glenn, though NASA is also studying what would be required to launch it on another rocket, including Vulcan or Falcon Heavy.
That review follows a recent New Glenn pad explosion. Parsons told Ars Technica that Blue Origin had already begun work on a second pad and that NASA is assessing alternatives while continuing to work with the company.
Parsons said Blue Origin’s smaller Mk 1 lander flights would add useful data, especially on propulsion, but he did not describe them as required before a crewed landing. He said NASA sees the Earth-orbit rendezvous test and an uncrewed Blue Origin Moon landing demonstration as major steps toward reducing mission risk.
The SpaceX Starship test will be more limited for crew systems. Parsons said astronauts will not enter Starship during Artemis III, and the vehicle will not carry life support for them. NASA instead wants to test docking, combined vehicle control and software integration between Orion and the much larger Starship.
Parsons said Artemis III is planned for a circular orbit at a minus-33-degree inclination, with the final altitude still under study. NASA is targeting below 250 nautical miles, likely in the 230-nautical-mile range, while weighing debris and radiation concerns. Parsons said both Blue Origin’s lander and Starship can reach that orbit in a single launch.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.