Nasa to test lunar landers before 2028 Moon landing
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 12:08 · Archive
Nasa will launch three rockets in summer 2027 to test prototype Moon landers in low Earth orbit before the Artemis IV lunar landing in 2028.
Nasa will launch three rockets within two weeks in summer 2027 for the Artemis III mission, which will test prototype lunar landers in low Earth orbit before attempting a crewed Moon landing in 2028. Blue Origin's New Glenn will launch first from Florida, carrying its Blue Moon Mark 2 lander into orbit about 273 miles above Earth. Nasa's Space Launch System will then carry four astronauts—Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency—in the Orion capsule into an orbit at around 345 miles altitude.
Orion will dock with Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander, and the crew will spend two days checking the lander's systems, including its atmosphere and pressure maintenance, software, flight-control systems and life-support functions. The astronauts will then return to Orion and undock. The mission will last 14 days, extendable to 17 days if needed. Nasa has described Artemis III as the most complicated mission it has ever attempted, involving four astronauts, three rockets, three spacecraft and two dockings.
Artemis III will prepare systems for Artemis IV in 2028, when astronauts will land on the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. Engadget notes that Blue Origin's New Glenn launchpad experienced an explosion during a hotfire test in May, but the company is working to make it usable again by year end.
How it is being reported
- NASA plans to launch three massive rockets for the Artemis 3 crewed lunar test missionNASA has detailed how the next Artemis 3 test will happen, but it doesn't have a concrete date for it yet.Engadget · 27 Oct, 11:58
- What is Nasa's Artemis III mission? And what comes next?Artemis III will help test crucial systems needed for the planned Artemis IV Moon landing in 2028.BBC Science · 27 Oct, 10:33
In this story: Nasa · Blue Origin · SpaceX · Florida · Randy Bresnik · Frank Rubio · Andre Douglas · Luca Parmitano
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