NASA Artemis III explained: The most complicated launch campaign ever attempted

NASA has revealed detailed plans for Artemis III, a two-week test mission in low Earth orbit scheduled for summer 2027 that will have four astronauts practice docking with experimental lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Speaking at a press conference at Kennedy Space Centre on Friday, October 23, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman reaffirmed that Artemis IV, the first crewed moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, remains targeted for 2028, despite outside experts doubting the timeline as China aims to land its astronauts by 2030.

Artemis III will require three launches in rapid succession. Blue Origin’s New Glenn will lift off first, carrying the Blue Moon lander to low Earth orbit, followed by NASA’s Space Launch System carrying astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano aboard Orion.

SpaceX’s Starship will launch later, meeting Orions for a shorter two-hour docking demonstration. The crew will enter Blue Moon but not Starship.

Jeremy Parsons, NASA’s Artemis program manager, said: “It’s likely the most complicated launch campaign ever undertaken. Everything we do on Artemis III is designed to reduce risk for our future lunar landing missions.”

To accelerate progress, NASA is pursuing a lighter, simpler spacesuit design for early moonwalks, halving suit mass to 250 pounds, while Axiom Space continues developing advanced suits for later missions.

NASA also plans to keep both lander options open for Artemis IV rather than committing to SpaceX or Blue Origin.