"Artemis III is expected to launch in late 2027. It was originally conceived as a lunar landing mission, but in February NASA announced that the agency had scrapped that idea in favor of a test that will be performed in Earth's orbit. During that test, NASA's Orion crew capsule (the spacecraft that housed the Artemis II astronauts on their journey around the moon) will attempt to dock with one or both of the two possible vehicles that the agency wants to use to land astronauts on the moon."
"Both vehicles, versions of Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander and SpaceX's Starship, respectively, have never been tested in such a scenario. Still, in its latest Artemis III news release, NASA said the mission's astronauts could attempt not only to dock with the lander but also to leave the Orion capsule and enter the vehicle. That would enable the agency to simulate the transfer between spacecraft that will be necessary for a human landing."
"For the first time, NASA will coordinate a launch campaign involving multiple spacecraft integrating new capabilities into Artemis operations, said Jeremy Parsons, acting assistant deputy associate administrator of NASA's Moon to Mars Program Office, in a statem"
Artemis III is planned for a late-2027 launch and is the final test step before human lunar landings. The mission was originally intended as a lunar landing, but NASA shifted it to an Earth-orbit test. During the test, the Orion crew capsule will attempt to dock with one or both of two candidate lunar lander vehicles: Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander and SpaceX’s Starship. Neither vehicle has been tested in this docking and crew-transfer scenario. NASA said astronauts may dock with the lander and also exit Orion to enter the vehicle, simulating the spacecraft transfer needed for a human landing. NASA will coordinate a multi-spacecraft launch campaign integrating new capabilities into Artemis operations.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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