NASA Shares New Details on Artemis III Pre-Lunar Landing Mission

Astronauts enter a moon vehicle while in Earth orbit.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule sit atop a mobile launcher at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in March 2026. [Credit: NASA/Jim Ross]

Key Takeaways:

Artemis III has been redefined from a lunar landing mission to a critical low-Earth orbit test flight, preceding the first human landing on the moon in decades (now planned for Artemis IV in 2028).
The mission's primary objective is to demonstrate the Orion capsule's ability to rendezvous and dock with *both* SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon human landing systems.
Artemis III will also test an upgraded Orion heat shield and other life support systems over a roughly 10-day mission, though HLS provider readiness faces potential delays.

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Following the roaring success of NASA’s Artemis II mission, the space agency is devising plans for a final test flight before attempting to land the first humans on the moon in decades, as soon as 2028.

Whereas Artemis II sent four astronauts slingshotting around the moon and back—and farther from Earth than any human has ever ventured—Artemis III will stay in familiar Earth orbit. The mission is designed as a test of NASA’s Orion capsule’s ability to dock with the human landing system (HLS) that will deliver its crew to the lunar surface.