Within NASA’s Artemis program, contracted companies SpaceX and Blue Origin, founded by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, respectively, are vying to provide the lander that will return humans to the moon’s surface. They’ll be put to the test during next year’s Artemis 3 mission, and NASA announced the schedule for it on October 23. The 14-day mission in Earth orbit will test how versions of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 lander and SpaceX’s Starship Version 3 lander rendezvous and dock with NASA’s Orion capsule, which will hold the astronauts on their journey toward our celestial companion.
Additionally, each spacecraft will rely on a different launch vehicle and involve a series of complex maneuvers. In June, NASA announced the Artemis 3 crew: mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, pilot Luca Parmitano and commander Randy Bresnik. The crewed mission will begin with the launch of Blue Origin’s lander atop the company’s New Glenn rocket.
Orion will follow, lifting off with NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, and the two spacecraft will link up in low-Earth orbit. They will remain connected for around two days, during which the crew will move between the two craft and conduct tests on Blue Moon. The astronauts will then return to Orion, after which it will disconnect from the lander.
Starship Version 3 will launch atop the Starship rocket to join Orion in low-Earth orbit. The two spacecraft will dock for up to two hours, although the crew will not board Starship. NASA and SpaceX will evaluate the lander’s controllability, communications and software performance, among other aspects.
After they undock, Orion will spend up to five more days in orbit. NASA and the astronauts will test space suits and docking sensors, take scientific measurements and perform technology demonstrations, which will be crucial for future Artemis missions. Notably, NASA is aiming for all this to happen in the summer of 2027.
It’s all of those things, but it’s also very challenging under the timeline that has currently been laid out,” former NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore tells Fox News. He also points out that SpaceX’s Starship rocket that will launch its lander has reached Earth orbit just once, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn has not performed a test flight with Blue Moon in tow. Still, NASA administrators seem convinced that speed doesn’t have to sacrifice safety.
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