Put it in pencil: NASA’s Artemis III mission will launch no earlier than late 2027

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman informed lawmakers on Monday that both SpaceX and Blue Origin, the contractors for the agency’s lunar landers, expect their spacecraft to be ready for the Artemis III mission by late 2027. This timeline represents a shift from NASA's earlier estimates. Unlike previous missions, Artemis III will not venture to the Moon. Instead, it aims to launch an Orion capsule with astronauts to rendezvous and possibly dock with one or both landers in Earth's orbit. The specifics of the flight plan are still being finalized, with critical details regarding the operational altitude and the configuration of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket yet to be determined. A mission to low-Earth orbit, just a few hundred miles above the planet, may allow NASA to conserve the existing SLS upper stage, which is currently in storage, for subsequent missions aimed at landing on the Moon. However, if a higher orbit is selected, the upper stage will be necessary, allowing NASA to conduct tests that simulate conditions closer to those on the lunar surface. NASA is also acquiring a new commercial upper stage, the Centaur V from United Launch Alliance, to complement the SLS rocket after utilizing its remaining upper stages. Another significant decision remains regarding which lander—SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s Blue Moon—Artemis III will engage in space, or whether both could be incorporated into the mission plan, provided they are ready. Isaacman previously announced that Artemis III would no longer aim for the Moon’s south pole due to the ambitious nature of the original mission profile. The initial plan would have required astronauts to dock with and board a spacecraft near the Moon, a considerable distance from Earth. Instead, Artemis III will mirror the Apollo 9 mission, which tested the lunar lander in Earth orbit months before Apollo 11's iconic landing. This revised approach means that should any issues arise during the mission, the astronauts will be just minutes or hours away from returning home, rather than days. The ambitious nature of the original Artemis III plan would have led to extended delays before future launches of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft following the successful Artemis II mission earlier this month. NASA aims to conduct Artemis missions at least once a year. Initially, officials projected a mid-2027 launch for Artemis III, followed by up to two missions to the lunar surface in 2028, aiming to beat China to a crewed lunar landing before the end of President Donald Trump’s term.