Artemis III: NASA's orbital test of two moon landers in 2027

NASA is racing to fly two competing lunar landers, one from SpaceX and one from Blue Origin, in a single low-Earth orbit rehearsal next year, and the biggest implication is that the agency's moon landing now hinges on vehicles that have barely flown, let alone carried people. On Friday, administrator Jared Isaacman set out how NASA intends to hold that line, and the message to contractors was blunt.

What changed

Artemis III, once pencilled in as a landing mission, is now a test flight. Isaacman added it in February, soon after taking the helm at NASA, to insert a 2027 rehearsal ahead of a crewed landing in 2028. The mission will see Orion, NASA's crew capsule, dock and undock multiple times with experimental landers from both Blue Origin and SpaceX, a few hundred miles above Earth rather than the 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometres) to the moon.

The estimated 14-day mission involves launching three massive rockets. Jeremy Parsons, manager of NASA's Artemis Program, called it "likely the most complicated launch campaign ever undertaken". The test is designed to help NASA vet which lander it might use for Artemis IV, the first crewed surface landing since Apollo ended in 1972.

The two vehicles could hardly be more different. SpaceX's Starship is a two-part system: the Super Heavy booster plus the 171-foot-tall Starship upper stage with six engines, which doubles as lander and rocket stage. Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2 stands 52 feet tall, rides inside the cargo bay of the New Glenn rocket, and resembles a scaled-up Apollo lander. Blue Moon has not yet flown. Starship recently completed its first orbital flight on 28 September 2026, delivering Starlink V3 satellites, a milestone covered in our earlier Starship coverage.

Impact on businesses

Both lander makers carry multibillion-dollar NASA contracts, and the new plan puts their schedules under a spotlight. "Every vendor and partner should understand that when a schedule is broken, NASA personnel will be knocking on the door," Isaacman said, adding that they would come "not to observe, not to write a paper or convene a committee, but to roll up their sleeves and solve problems".

Its planned cargo-only Blue Moon Mark 1 flight this year was put on hold after a New Glenn rocket exploded during routine ground tests in May, destroying its Florida launch site. Hardware for the Artemis III Blue Moon is under construction, but the company must rebuild infrastructure while racing the clock.

SpaceX faces a different problem. It will fly a relatively bare-bones Starship "yanked" off its production line next year while still tweaking the design. Test flights have exposed reliability issues with the Raptor engines. NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya argued most of what is being seen "is issues impacting reuse", meaning cost savings rather than Artemis III viability. What NASA needs is a Starship that can hold a stable orbit long enough for the docking tests.

Axiom, the Houston company building the moonwalking suits, has also been affected. NASA greenlit a simplified, lighter version for early landing missions including Artemis IV, while Axiom continues the more advanced suit for harder excursions later. Our report on the Artemis IV spacesuit redesign covers that shift.

Impact on consumers and users

For the public, the effects are indirect but visible. The next crewed Artemis milestone is a docking rehearsal rather than a lunar flyby or landing, so the spectacle will come later than some expected. The crew for Artemis III, announced on 9 June 2026, is NASA's Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, with ESA's Luca Parmitano as pilot, the first European to join one of the programme's missions. Parmitano's role gives European space followers, including in the UK through its ESA membership, a direct stake in the test.

The first Starship orbital flight delivered Starlink V3 satellites, so the vehicle NASA is relying on is simultaneously being proven as a commercial launcher.

Impact on the wider industry

NASA is openly running a two-vendor contest. Parsons noted that lander vehicles are what currently drive the overall schedule, so delays there ripple across the Space Launch System rocket, Orion and suits. NASA is responding by "looking to simplify, remove difficult requirements" almost across the board.

The technical risk is concentrated in one capability. Getting Starship to the moon requires transferring super-chilled cryogenic propellants between two vehicles in Earth orbit, which has never been done. SpaceX's first demonstration is expected in early 2027. SpaceX must also finish the Artemis III prototype within months, test its landing legs and airlock, and expand to two new Florida launchpads while continuing its flight campaign. For context on the cadence of that campaign, see our look at Starship's flight test campaign.

Isaacman rejected the idea that slowing down would help: "We will not delude ourselves into believing that more time, more money, and flying less will somehow make our work safer or more achievable."

What comes next

• Coming months: SpaceX finishes building the Artemis III Starship and completes landing leg and airlock demonstrations; Blue Origin continues Blue Moon hardware construction.
• Early 2027: SpaceX's first ship-to-ship propellant transfer demonstration.
• 2027: The Artemis III low-Earth orbit test, with Orion docking repeatedly with both landers.
• 2028: The targeted crewed lunar landing on Artemis IV.

Key takeaways

• Artemis III is a rehearsal designed to help vet which lander NASA might use for Artemis IV.
• Neither lander has flown crewed or docked with a crewed spacecraft.
• Propellant transfer in orbit has never been done and is needed to get Starship to the moon.
• NASA is simplifying requirements, including the Axiom suits, to protect the schedule.

Verdict

This is a net positive for NASA and for taxpayers, because testing both landers before committing a crew to the surface exposes problems cheaply, and the competition keeps both companies honest. It is riskier for Blue Origin, which is rebuilding after the May explosion, and for SpaceX, whose engine reliability and fuel transfer must both come good in 2027. Readers should watch for the first propellant transfer in early 2027: the transfer is needed for Starship to reach the moon.