NASA details Artemis III docking test ahead of 2028 Moon landing

NASA has released more details of Artemis III, its next crewed mission, which is set to launch in the summer of 2027. The mission will not go to the Moon. Four astronauts will instead fly in low Earth orbit and dock with two prototype lunar landers, one built by Blue Origin and the other by SpaceX.

NASA has described it as the most complicated mission it has attempted. It involves four astronauts, three rocket launches, three spacecraft and two dockings, and is planned to last 14 days, with the option of extending it to 17.

The sequence begins with Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launching from Florida with a prototype of its Blue Moon lander and no crew. NASA's Space Launch System will then lift the Orion capsule with the crew from Kennedy Space Center. On the third day of flight Orion will dock with Blue Moon, and the crew will enter the lander and spend two days checking its systems, including atmosphere and pressure, software, flight controls and life support, according to Engadget.

On flight day six, SpaceX will launch its Starship rocket from Florida. Its upper stage, the Ship, serves as the prototype lander, though it does not yet have life support systems. Orion will undock from Blue Moon and dock with the Ship for about two hours. The crew will not enter the Ship and will only check how Orion docks and undocks with it.

The crew is commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano of the Italian Space Agency, and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio. Bob Heintz is the backup. The return will test an upgraded heat shield on Orion, and the crew will also try new Orion Crew Survival System suits.

Artemis III was originally meant to be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA changed the plan in February 2026 because the SpaceX Starship lander is not ready and the in-orbit refuelling it relies on has not been demonstrated. A March 2026 report from the US Government Accountability Office found SpaceX had made limited progress on that technology.

Another setback came on 28 May 2026, when Blue Origin's only launch pad at Cape Canaveral was badly damaged after a rocket exploded during an engine test. NASA says it expects the pad to be ready by December or January 2027. NASA Watch reported that administrator Jared Isaacman told staff in a memo that Artemis III is three months behind schedule.

Artemis IV, targeted for 2028, would put astronauts on the Moon's south polar region for about a week. Many in the field doubt the timetable can be met, according to the BBC.