The Artemis III astronauts may meet not one private spacecraft during their mission, but two.
SpaceX and Blue Origin plan to each provide a lander for the 2027 mission to Earth orbit, which will serve as a test run for Moon landings starting as soon as the following year, NASA confirmed at a Tuesday event.
John Couluris, the SVP of lunar permanence at Blue Origin, acknowledged the timeline sounds ambitious—especially after the company’s New Glenn rocket exploded on the pad last month. However, he said officials are “confident that New Glenn will be ready for Artemis III.”
Best of both worlds: During the two-week Artemis III mission, if all goes to plan, astronauts will meet up first with Blue Origin’s Mark 1 and then, SpaceX’s Starship V3. The Orion spacecraft will dock with each lander in turn, and on Mark 1, crew will open the hatch in a test run for future lunar ops.
NASA wants both landers to be ready for Artemis IV’s planned Moon landing in 2028. The space agency tapped SpaceX to provide Starship for the historic touchdown, although NASA has said it may pivot to Blue Origin to speed things up.
- SpaceX VP Jessica Jensen said Starship would fly the crucial trans-lunar injection on the Artemis IV landing mission, instead of using Orion like Artemis II’s crew.
- The maneuver would allow the crew to dock in Earth orbit, and to leave the Moon almost whenever they wish. “This approach improves crew safety,” Jensen said.
- Starship is tasked to demonstrate propellant transfer during an uncrewed mission later this year, which is a key milestone for NASA to sign off on the lander.
From shuttle to spacewalks: The newly named Artemis III astronauts have a wide range of experience.
- NASA Commander Randy Bresnik, a two-time shuttle and ISS astronaut, past ISS commander, and past Chief of the Astronaut Office assistant;
- ESA Pilot Luca Parmitano, a two-time ISS astronaut and past ISS commander who once survived a water incursion during a spacewalk.
- NASA Mission Specialist Frank Rubio, a one-time ISS astronaut who saw his mission unexpectedly double to a US-record-breaking 371 days due to spacecraft problems.
- NASA Mission Specialist Andre Douglas, backup for Artemis II and on his first spaceflight.
NASA’s Bob Hines, who flew a long-duration ISS mission while piloting SpaceX Crew-4, will serve as Artemis III backup.
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Reflex Aerospace selected Spanish startup Arkadia Space to provide a propulsion system for its satellite mission, launching in 2027.
The agreement marks the first time that Germany’s Reflex will fly a chemical-propulsion system on one of its satellites, according to the announcement. Reflex’s decision was based largely on Arkadia’s ability to rapidly build and integrate.
“As a European and ITAR-free supplier with demonstrated in-orbit heritage, Arkadia Space enables us to move quickly while maintaining high technical standards and supply-chain independence,” Reflex CEO Walter Ballheimer said in a statement. “The short lead time and flexibility of their system are key enablers for our ambitious development timeline.”
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