NASA Recasts Artemis III for 2028 Moon Landing as Blue Origin and SpaceX Revise 2 Landers
Updated
Updated · NASA · Oct 24
NASA Recasts Artemis III for 2028 Moon Landing as Blue Origin and SpaceX Revise 2 Landers
3 articles · Updated · NASA · Oct 24
Summary
NASA said Artemis III will now test Blue Origin and SpaceX landers with Orion in low Earth orbit next year, part of a push to put U.S. astronauts back on the Moon in 2028.
The redesign drops the earlier plan to rendezvous near the Moon, letting each provider use a different orbit to cut propellant needs, shorten return times from the surface and speed development.
SpaceX will keep its in-space cryogenic refueling approach, but Starship HLS will dock with Orion in Earth orbit before pushing the combined stack toward low lunar orbit; Blue Origin will defer propellant transfer and use 3 transfer stages to send Blue Moon Mark 2 to lunar orbit.
Both companies must complete uncrewed demonstrations before crewed flights, and NASA said neither provider is now tied to a specific Artemis landing mission because it will choose the first 2028 landing based on readiness.
The contract realignment replaces the earlier assignment of Starship to Artemis III and IV and Blue Moon to Artemis V, as NASA seeks a faster lunar cadence and a longer-term Moon base.