NASA Plans 2027 Artemis III Mission to Test Commercial Moon Landers in Earth Orbit

What was announced

NASA outlined plans for the Artemis III test mission, set for launch in 2027. The agency will send four crew members into low Earth orbit, an altitude a few hundred miles above the surface, for a 14-day demonstration flight. The crew includes NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas, alongside European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano.

The plan relies on launching three spacecraft on three separate heavy-lift rockets. First, Blue Origin will launch a test article of its Blue Moon Mark 2 lander into orbit about 273 miles high. Days later, NASA will launch the Orion spacecraft on its Space Launch System rocket from Florida. Orion will adjust its orbit to match and dock with Blue Moon. Crew members will step into the Blue Moon cabin for two days to inspect life-support systems, cabin pressure, and controls. After undocking, Orion will dock with a SpaceX Starship Version 3 test vehicle in a lower orbit of 206 nautical miles for up to two hours to test flight software and alignment. Starship will not carry crew inside. Orion will then spend up to five more days conducting science experiments and suit checks before landing in the Pacific Ocean off California.

What it means

The mission creates a practical rehearsal for deep-space travel. Rather than flying straight to the Moon on a new landing system, NASA is breaking the process into smaller steps in Earth orbit.

By testing how Orion connects with two different commercial landing craft, engineers can check software, docking mechanisms, and radio communications. The mission gives flight controllers early practice coordinating three complex vehicles built by different entities. Testing these systems close to home lets teams resolve technical issues before sending astronauts nearly 240,000 miles away to the lunar South Pole in 2028.

What the announcement does not tell us

The announcement does not state the exact launch dates or months for any of the three rocket launches in 2027. It does not provide total cost estimates for the Artemis III test flight or the commercial lander contracts. NASA also does not explain what criteria would cause flight controllers to pause or delay a launch if one of the commercial landers encounters technical trouble while waiting in orbit. Finally, the release does not mention specific names for the scientific instruments or cellular biology experiments flying aboard Orion.