NASA Moves Lander Docking Tests to Low Earth Orbit for 2028 Moon Goal

First reported 23 Oct, 22:39 UTCSource: NASA News ReleasesLast editorial activity 23 Oct, 22:39 UTCWrite a comment ↓

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NASA has reworked its Artemis III mission so that test versions of lunar landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX will dock with the Orion spacecraft in low Earth orbit next year. The revision is intended to accelerate work toward a crewed Moon landing in 2028.

Revised Artemis III test plan

The agency has restructured Artemis III to demonstrate rendezvous and docking between test versions of each provider's lander and Orion in low Earth orbit, the region of space nearest Earth where most satellites operate. That demonstration is slated for next year.

NASA states that initial crewed Artemis flights will carry astronauts aloft in Orion, mounted on the Space Launch System rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Before any crewed flight, the agency will certify the lander systems to safeguard safety and mission success.

Different orbits for each lander

To hasten progress toward a 2028 landing, the landers and Orion will no longer meet in a near-rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon. Each partner will instead rendezvous in an orbit suited to its own design.

SpaceX intends to aggregate super cold, or cryogenic, liquid propellant in space and will demonstrate that approach on its uncrewed mission. Under the revised plan, the Starship lander will wait for Orion and its crew in Earth orbit, then fire a trans-lunar injection burn to send the combined stack into low lunar orbit. NASA is modifying Orion so Starship can push it toward the Moon.

Blue Origin's three-stage approach

For its accelerated 2028 crewed landing, Blue Origin will forgo propellant transfer and instead use three transfer stages built from existing Mark 1 and Mark 2 hardware, which function like a multistage rocket. The stages launch into low Earth orbit first, followed by the Blue Moon Mark 2 Alpha Lander. Once docked, the stack heads for an elliptical polar orbit around the Moon, shedding each transfer stage as its propellant is used up.

Both companies are also building crew and cargo versions of their landers for near-term Artemis missions, and each must fly an uncrewed demonstration with its crewed lander beforehand.

Open questions

Will the low Earth orbit rendezvous and docking demonstration proceed on schedule next year?
Will the 2028 landing target hold as the revised operations are tested?

Key facts

NASA has reshaped Artemis III to test rendezvous and docking between lander test versions from Blue Origin and SpaceX and the Orion spacecraft in low Earth orbit next year.

SpaceX will show its propellant aggregation approach during an uncrewed demonstration mission.

The landers and Orion will meet in orbits that differ for each partner, to speed development toward a 2028 landing.

NASA will certify lander systems before crewed missions to ensure safety and mission success.

Both companies must complete an uncrewed demonstration mission with their crewed landers before the near-term crewed Artemis missions.