Blue Origin · SpaceX · Artemis Program · Ars Technica
NASA provides some details about Artemis III, but hard decisions remain
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NASA announced Wednesday that it will fly the Artemis III mission in low-Earth orbit and that it continues to target 2027 for this stepping-stone flight that will help land humans on the Moon.
Key facts
- NASA did something similar during the Apollo program, with the Apollo 9 mission in March 1969
- During that mission, two Apollo 9 astronauts entered the Lunar Module and separated from the Apollo Command Module
- However NASA continues to put off some key details for this mission, which Isaacman has repeatedly said will launch in ( late ) 2027
- NASA announced Wednesday that it will fly the Artemis III mission in low-Earth orbit and that it continues to target 2027 for this stepping-stone flight that will help land humans on the Moon
Summary
The space agency chose the orbit close to Earth—as opposed to a higher orbit—because it would preserve the final remaining Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage for launching the Artemis IV landing mission later this decade. The additional information released this week follows a decision made by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman three months ago to shuffle the agency’s Artemis plans to accelerate a lunar landing. Instead of landing on the Moon with Artemis III, the agency now plans to launch four astronauts inside the Orion spacecraft, on top of the Space Launch System rocket. This decision to reduce the risks of the eventual lunar landing mission with an interim test closer to home has largely been applauded by the space community.