NASA Plans 14-Day Earth Orbit Test for Two Moon Landers

NASA’s Artemis III mission will last a maximum of 17 days, according to details released on Oct. 23. The agency presented the most comprehensive operational plan for the flight during a two-hour press conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The extended timeline allows for a complex series of docking tests involving two different lunar landers.

The campaign requires three heavy-lift rockets to launch from Florida’s Space Coast. Jeremy Parsons, the Artemis program manager, described the sequence as likely the most complicated launch campaign ever undertaken. The vehicles include NASA’s Space Launch System, SpaceX’s Starship, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn.

New Glenn launches first, placing Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander in low Earth orbit. The Space Launch System follows, carrying four astronauts in the Orion spacecraft. The crew consists of NASA’s Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio, and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano. Parsons noted that Orion will initially enter a highly elliptical orbit between 18 and 1,122 miles above Earth before stabilizing at an altitude of 345 miles. This adjustment addresses thermal stability challenges that Orion faces in low Earth orbit compared to deep space.

The crew will spend two days inspecting Orion’s systems before docking with Blue Moon on Flight Day 3 at an altitude of 273 miles. For the next two days, astronauts will enter the lander to evaluate environmental controls and life support systems. Teams will also test emergency scenarios and dual-vehicle control protocols. On Flight Day 6, SpaceX’s Starship is expected to launch with a special docking adapter. The 171-foot upper stage will meet Orion on Flight Day 8 at an altitude of 237 miles. This encounter will last about two hours. The crew will not enter Starship, but the test will provide data on docking forces and vehicle interaction.

After undocking from Starship, the mission continues for another six to nine days. The crew will evaluate survival suits, a task not completed during the 10-day Artemis II flyby in April. They will also conduct health assessments and technology demonstrations. The capsule will conclude the mission with a parachute-aided ocean splashdown.

The test flight prepares for Artemis IV, which is scheduled to land astronauts near the moon’s south pole in 2028. That mission would mark the first crewed lunar touchdown since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA has not selected which lander will fly that mission. Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the agency is preserving options for both partners. "We have no intention of surrendering a viable path to the surface before the data and schedule compels us to do so," Isaacman said. Parsons confirmed that both providers are planning lunar landing missions for 2028, though the profiles differ. Blue Origin’s plan involves meeting Orion in lunar orbit, while SpaceX’s Starship would dock in Earth orbit and propel the capsule toward the moon.

NASA is targeting a launch for Artemis III in the summer of 2027. However, an internal memo from last month indicated the mission is about 90 days behind schedule. Parsons cited the lunar lander supply chain as a major challenge. Isaacman expressed confidence in the team’s ability to resolve these issues, saying, "We're moving with real speed and purpose right now."