Summary
NASA plans to use the 2027 Artemis III flight to test Orion’s rendezvous and docking with lunar lander test vehicles in Earth orbit. The agency is aiming for an Artemis IV crewed Moon landing in 2028, with lander and rocket-stage options still being developed.
NASA’s Oct. 23 update sets out a 2027 Artemis III test flight in Earth orbit ahead of a planned Artemis IV crewed Moon landing in 2028. The agency says Artemis III will test how its Orion spacecraft rendezvouses and docks with lander test vehicles from Blue Origin and SpaceX, while Artemis IV is being prepared around landers from both companies.
Artemis III will test lander operations in Earth orbit
Four astronauts are planned to fly aboard Orion, launched by NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), for a 14-day mission in Earth orbit. Rather than attempt a lunar landing, the flight is intended to test the rendezvous, docking and operating procedures needed for later missions. Rendezvous and docking involve spacecraft approaching and connecting; testing those operations before a lunar mission lets NASA exercise key systems in Earth orbit.
NASA describes the planned sequence this way: Blue Origin will launch a Blue Moon lander test article into orbit, followed by the SLS launch of Orion and its crew. Orion will dock with Blue Moon. SpaceX will then launch a Version 3 Starship lander test article, and Orion will undock from Blue Moon and dock with Starship.
NASA also reports that Artemis III hardware processing timelines have been reduced by about half. The agency says it redesigned, built and tested a fuel-line component in-house in five months, at roughly one-tenth the cost of an earlier outside-vendor estimate. Those are NASA-reported schedule and cost comparisons presented as part of its effort to accelerate the programme.
Two lander approaches are being developed for Artemis IV
For Artemis IV, astronauts are planned to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard Orion and SLS. NASA is working with SpaceX and Blue Origin on landers, and says both companies are targeting the ability to support a crewed lunar landing in 2028.
In NASA’s description of SpaceX’s approach, Starship will refuel in Earth orbit, rendezvous with Orion and carry the spacecraft toward the Moon. Blue Origin’s plan uses transfer stages in Earth orbit to send its Blue Moon Mark 2 lander toward the Moon. It would meet Orion in a closer lunar orbit before descending to the surface.
NASA is also pursuing two SLS upper-stage options for Artemis IV: the current interim cryogenic propulsion stage and a stretched version of United Launch Alliance’s Centaur V, which can carry more propellant. The agency says keeping both options in play preserves flexibility and avoids relying on a single stage choice.
A second spacesuit design is also planned. NASA and Axiom Space are developing a lighter “Sortie suit” for the earliest moonwalks. NASA says it is roughly half the weight of Axiom’s larger suit and is not intended to replace the primary suit for longer, more demanding missions.
The sequence separates a systems test in Earth orbit from the intended lunar landing mission. Artemis III is meant to exercise connections and operations between Orion and lander vehicles; Artemis IV is the mission NASA plans to use for a crewed landing. NASA’s update describes the landing date as a goal supported by parallel development paths, rather than a completed capability.