NASA Details Artemis III: A Two-Week Docking Test in Earth Orbit

Artemis III will not land on the Moon. In 2027 it will test docking with two commercial landers in Earth orbit, before a landing attempt on Artemis IV in 2028.

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한국어 요약
NASA는 10월 23일 브리핑 내용을 11월 4일 공식 게시물로 정리해, 2027년 예정인 Artemis III를 달에 가지 않는 14일짜리 지구 궤도 시험 비행으로 못 박았습니다. 우주비행사 4명이 Orion을 타고 SpaceX와 Blue Origin의 착륙선 시험체와 차례로 도킹하는 연습을 하며, 첫 유인 달 착륙은 2028년 Artemis IV로 잡혀 있습니다. Artemis IV에서는 SpaceX는 지구 궤도에서 연료를 보급한 뒤 Orion을 만나고, Blue Origin은 전달 단계를 거쳐 달 궤도에서 만나는 두 가지 경로를 모두 추진합니다. 다만 모두 계획일 뿐이며, 두 회사의 시험체가 먼저 성공적으로 날아야 하고 감독 기관에서는 착륙 전에 시험이 더 필요하다는 우려가 나옵니다.
The curved edge of the Moon, photographed by the Artemis II crew during their trip around the far side in April 2026
Image: NASA · NASA media usage guidelines

NASA has shared the details of its revised Artemis plan. The briefing was on Oct. 23, and NASA posted a full write-up on Nov. 4. The short version: Artemis III will stay in Earth orbit, and the first crewed landing is now Artemis IV in 2028.

What Artemis III will do

Four astronauts will fly in the Orion capsule for a planned 14 days in Earth orbit in 2027. The goal is to practice meeting and docking with test versions of two commercial lunar landers, one from SpaceX and one from Blue Origin. NASA says the flight is meant to reduce risk before the landing mission.

NASA gives the order of events:

  1. Blue Origin launches a Blue Moon lander test article into Earth orbit.
  2. NASA’s SLS rocket launches Orion and its crew, and Orion docks with the Blue Moon test article.
  3. SpaceX launches a Version 3 Starship lander test article.
  4. Orion undocks from Blue Moon and docks with Starship.

A test article is a stand-in, not a finished lander. According to Aerospace America, Orion stays attached to the Starship test article for about two hours. CBS News compared this kind of flight to Apollo 9 in 1969, which tested a lander in Earth orbit before the first Moon landing.

Artemis IV: the landing

NASA describes two possible paths for Artemis IV, and both companies are aiming for a crewed landing in 2028.

  • SpaceX: Starship refuels in Earth orbit, meets Orion, and carries it toward the Moon.
  • Blue Origin: Transfer stages in Earth orbit push the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander toward the Moon. It meets Orion in a closer lunar orbit and then descends.

NASA is also keeping two options for the SLS upper stage on Artemis IV: the current interim stage, or a stretched version of ULA’s Centaur V that carries more propellant.

What to keep in mind

These are plans, not results. The test landers still have to fly, and the Artemis program has slipped before. Reporting on the October briefing notes that oversight officials have grown more doubtful about the schedule. NASA says it is pursuing up to two landings in 2028.

NASA is also looking for people. On Nov. 7 it opened applications for a new astronaut class to help grow the Artemis program, according to the Associated Press.

Sources