Nasa has named the Artemis III crew - what is their mission?
Summary
NASA has chosen four astronauts for the Artemis III mission, planned for 2027. The crew will travel to low Earth orbit to practice docking with lunar landers but will not land on the Moon. The first Moon landing of the Artemis program is now scheduled for Artemis IV in 2028.Key Facts
- Artemis III will launch on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket from Florida.
- The crew will fly inside the Orion capsule and stay in low Earth orbit about 290 miles above Earth.
- They will dock with prototype lunar landers and test new spacesuits designed by Prada and built by Axiom Space.
- The mission will last slightly longer than Artemis II’s nine days, including testing an upgraded heat shield on return.
- NASA changed Artemis III’s mission because SpaceX’s Starship lander and its in-orbit refueling are not ready.
- SpaceX’s refueling tech has made "limited progress" and may first be demonstrated in late 2026.
- Artemis IV in 2028 will be the first crewed Moon landing of the Artemis program, targeting the Moon’s south pole.
- Artemis V, also in 2028, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander to send more astronauts to the Moon.
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