It’ll be a swift leap for humankind.
NASA is aiming to land astronauts on the moon within two years following the successful return of Artemis II to Earth on Friday. The program’s concluding test flight, Artemis III, is already planned for next year.
Artemis III is anticipated to launch around mid-2027, remaining in Earth’s orbit to conduct tests on flight and rendezvous procedures with new lunar landers being developed by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Much like during the Apollo era, the crew capsule will need to dock with a lunar lander in space while en route to the moon—a procedure that requires meticulous planning and practice.
If Artemis III’s tests are successful, Artemis IV is set to have humans walking on the moon again by 2028, with a landing planned for the lunar south pole.
Despite Artemis II’s remarkable 10-day journey around the moon and back, the success of Artemis III is not assured, given that the lunar landers still have significant development to undergo before they are mission-ready for Earth’s orbit, let alone extended periods on the moon.
The SpaceX lander, a massive reusable rocket known as the “Starship,” has seen only two fully successful flights out of 11 tests, and neither reached orbit, according to Space.com.
The lander has yet to refuel in space, a requirement for a moon mission, and has not flown with the life-support systems needed to sustain astronauts on the moon.
Blue Origin’s lander, named “Blue Moon,” has not ventured into space at all.
It remains uncertain which lander will participate in the Artemis IV landing. Plans from 2025 indicated that SpaceX’s lander would be the first, followed by Blue Origin’s, but the decision will likely depend on the performance during Artemis III.
Despite these uncertainties, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman stated at a Saturday press conference with the Artemis II astronauts that Artemis III is progressing with full momentum.
“There are a lot of things, based on the information we have available today, from feedback from our vendors, that we know are achievable,” Isaacman noted, adding that NASA had “the first senior-level Artemis III mission design discussion” just a day after Artemis II splashed down.
Artemis II echoed 1968’s Apollo 8, testing the mission’s rocket and life support systems, while Artemis III will follow Apollo 9’s 1969 test of the lunar landing system in Earth’s orbit.
Apollo 9 spent 10 days orbiting Earth and was the first mission to fly a lunar lander and rendezvous with it, much like Artemis III will do.
As Apollo 9’s success paved the way for Apollo 11’s launch a few months later, Artemis III is currently set to determine if Artemis IV will land on the moon in 2028.
Apollo 9 was succeeded by a full landing dress-rehearsal—Apollo 10—that sent a lunar lander within miles of the moon’s surface, but no such mission is scheduled for Artemis.
Artemis III was initially intended as the landing mission, but NASA announced in February that it would remain in Earth’s orbit to test the landing systems.
The crew for the moon-landing mission has yet to be announced, although they have likely been selected.
Plans are already underway for a long-term moon base, which would contribute to the aim of a manned Mars landing in the mid-2030s.
“This is just the beginning,” Isaacman said Friday after the Artemis II splashdown. “We are going to get back into doing this with frequency, sending missions to the moon, until we land on it in 2028 and start building our base.”
The Artemis II crew has also expressed enthusiasm for future missions during the successful Saturday press conference.
“It is time to go, and be ready,” commander Reid Wiseman stated.
“It takes courage, it takes determination, and you all are freakin’ goin’,” he added. “We’re going to be standing there supporting you every single step of the way in every possible way.”
