NASA has released new details about the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. It was originally intended to culminate in a lunar landing, but in February 2026, the agency changed its plans. Now, this mission will focus on practicing docking maneuvers in Earth orbit, which will serve as a preparatory step for the actual lunar expedition.
Mission that changed course
Artemis III was supposed to be the first crewed landing near the Moon’s South Pole since the Apollo program. NASA has revised that plan, and now Artemis IV is set to be the landing mission.
Four astronauts will travel to Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched by the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Once there, they will dock with one or both of the lunar landers currently being developed by private companies. SpaceX is building Starship, and Blue Origin is building Blue Moon Mark 2. It has not yet been decided which of these vehicles, or both, will participate in the mission.
What’s new at NASA
The agency has confirmed several details previously unknown. In particular, it is now officially confirmed that Orion will enter low Earth orbit, whereas this had previously only been speculated. The astronauts will spend more time on board than during Artemis II in order to conduct a more thorough test of the life support systems.
Artemis III will also feature a cost-saving technical solution. Instead of a full-scale Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), a mock-up with the same geometric parameters will be installed. Since the mission does not go beyond Earth’s orbit, there is simply no need for a booster stage to accelerate the spacecraft to the Moon. Work on building a mock-up is already underway at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
Unresolved issues
Many details have yet to be determined: the mission duration, the crew composition, the list of scientific objectives, and the procedure for testing the new Artemis spacesuits from Axiom Space.
NASA is also seeking proposals to improve communication with Earth, as the Deep Space Network will not be involved in this mission. In addition, the agency is considering the possibility of launching small CubeSats into Earth orbit as an additional component of the mission.
According to space.com
