NASA Unveils 14-Day Orbital Test Plan for Rival Moon Landers

NASA has finalized a plan for Artemis III, a 14-day orbital mission designed to test two competing moon landers before astronauts attempt a lunar surface touchdown. The agency detailed the concept of operations during a two-hour press conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 23.

The mission will utilize three separate launch vehicles: NASA’s Space Launch System, SpaceX’s Starship, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn. Artemis program manager Jeremy Parsons described the sequence as likely the most complicated launch campaign in history, involving three of the world's most powerful rockets.

The sequence begins with New Glenn, which will carry Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander into low Earth orbit. SLS will follow, launching the Orion spacecraft with a four-person crew. The astronauts are NASA’s Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio, and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano.

Parsons explained that SLS will place Orion in a highly elliptical orbit between 18 and 1,122 miles in altitude. The capsule will then adjust to a stable orbit of approximately 345 miles to manage thermal stress, as the vehicle is built for deep space but faces different conditions in low Earth orbit.

The crew will spend two days checking Orion’s systems before docking with Blue Moon on the third day at an altitude of 273 miles. They will spend two days docked, testing environmental controls, life support, and emergency scenarios. On the sixth day, Starship will launch with a docking adapter and meet Orion on the eighth day. This second docking will last about two hours, during which the crew will remain in Orion to gather data on docking forces.

After undocking from Starship, the mission will continue for another six to nine days before an ocean splashdown. The nominal duration is 14 days, though it could extend to 17. The crew will also evaluate survival suits, a task not performed during the April Artemis II flyby, and conduct health assessments and technology demonstrations.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the agency is keeping both commercial partners in the running for the 2028 Artemis IV mission, which aims for the moon's south pole. Parsons noted that Blue Origin and SpaceX have different approach profiles for the lunar landing, with Blue Moon meeting Orion in lunar orbit and Starship likely docking in Earth orbit. Isaacman said, "We have no intention of surrendering a viable path to the surface before the data and schedule compels us to do so."

The launch date for Artemis III remains unconfirmed. NASA is targeting summer 2027, but an internal memo from last month indicated the mission is roughly 90 days behind schedule. Parsons identified the lunar lander supply chain as a major challenge, though Isaacman expressed confidence in the team’s progress, stating, "We're moving with real speed and purpose right now."