🚀🌕 NASA is preparing for another major step toward returning astronauts to the Moon.

The upcoming Artemis III demonstration mission, planned for 2027, will give NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin an opportunity to test critical lunar-landing operations — but not on the Moon itself.

Instead, astronauts will launch aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) and conduct rendezvous and docking operations with commercial human landing system test vehicles in low Earth orbit.

The mission will feature test articles based on Blue Origin's Blue Moon architecture and SpaceX's Starship Version 3. NASA says astronauts are expected to enter the Blue Origin test lander, while they will not enter the Starship test vehicle during the demonstration.

The goal is to practice the complex operations that future lunar missions will require — from launches and orbital rendezvous to docking, communications and coordination between NASA and commercial partners.

NASA currently plans for Artemis IV in 2028 to carry astronauts to the lunar surface.

The next phase of the Artemis program is taking shape — and the tests conducted before astronauts return to the Moon could be just as important as the landing itself. 🚀🌕

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