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

Verified

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 re-designated from the first human lunar landing to a crucial orbital test mission in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), preceding the landing attempt (Artemis IV in 2028).
The mission's primary goal is to test the Orion capsule's rendezvous and docking capabilities with both SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon human landing systems (HLS).
Artemis III will involve a 10-day crew stay in Orion and will utilize a modified Space Launch System (SLS) with a "spacer" instead of an upper stage to simplify the LEO mission.
Significant challenges remain, including potential delays from HLS providers and the fact that an "upgraded" Orion heat shield and a new SLS upper stage will not be fully tested under lunar return conditions until Artemis IV.

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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.