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Artemis III to launch mid-2027 for lunar lander tests

By Drooid · Oct 24, 2026, 2:32 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced Artemis III will launch mid-2027 to test lunar landers in low-Earth orbit.
Orion will dock first with Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 test lander and later with SpaceX’s Starship.
Crew will spend about two days inside the Blue Moon lander evaluating cabin environment and life-support systems.
Artemis IV, slated for early 2028, will land astronauts on the Moon’s south pole using the first ready lander.

History

Historical Context

NASA’s Apollo program, launched after President Kennedy’s 1961 Moon-landing pledge, achieved the first lunar touchdown on July 20 1969 with Armstrong and Aldrin, costing $25.4 billion and employing over 400,000 people. The 2017-born Artemis program follows the same incremental test approach; Artemis III will dock Orion with commercial landers, while Artemis IV targets a 2028 south-pole landing.

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Story summary

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced Artemis III will launch mid-2027 to test lunar landers in low-Earth orbit.
Orion will dock first with Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 test lander and later with SpaceX’s Starship.
Crew will spend about two days inside the Blue Moon lander evaluating cabin environment and life-support systems.
Artemis IV, slated for early 2028, will land astronauts on the Moon’s south pole using the first ready lander.

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