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Artemis III

Artemis III is a crewed demonstration planned for low Earth orbit in 2027, using Orion to test rendezvous and docking with commercial lander test vehicles.

Planned Verified 2026-10-07

Overview

A demonstration before the lunar return

Artemis III is planned for low Earth orbit in 2027. It will test systems and operations needed for later lunar missions. Under NASA’s architecture announced in 2026, it is not the lunar landing mission: that role belongs to Artemis IV, planned for 2028. These are mission plans, not completed events.

Vehicles and operations

SLS will launch Orion and four astronauts from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After Orion system checks, the mission will test rendezvous and docking with test versions of one or both commercial landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. Interfaces, software, propulsion and communications will be tested. The plan presented in June envisages about two weeks in space, with the exact duration dependent on launches and orbital operations.

Announced crew

On 9 June 2026 NASA announced Randy Bresnik as commander, ESA’s Luca Parmitano as pilot, and Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as mission specialists. Bob Hines was named as backup. The crew should therefore no longer be described as unknown.

What the tests will demonstrate

The manoeuvres will assess how Orion and the lander vehicles work together before their use on lunar missions. A docking test near Earth is not a completed lunar descent. The year 2027 is the announced target, not an exact launch date assigned by this profile.

Essential data

Key fact
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Sources and references

  1. Moon to Mars | NASA's Artemis Program NASA
  2. Missions - NASA NASA
  3. NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans - NASA NASA
  4. Missions NASA
  5. ESA - Artemis II European Space Agency
  6. A to Z of NASA Missions - NASA NASA
  7. Artemis II: NASA’s First Crewed Lunar Flyby in 50 Years - NASA NASA
  8. Artemis II Reference Guide NASA
  9. Artemis III NASA
  10. Join the Artemis Mission to the Moon NASA
  11. Artemis I NASA
  12. Artemis II Flight Path Animations NASA
  13. ESA - Artemis IV European Space Agency
  14. NASA's Artemis II Crew Comes Home (Official Broadcast) NASA
  15. Engagement Opening: NASA ORBIT 2026 NASA
  16. NASA NASA
  17. Final Steps Underway for NASA's First Crewed Artemis ... NASA
  18. ESA - Artemis II mission begins European Space Agency
  19. Artemis I Mission Timeline NASA
  20. NASA Marches Toward Artemis III Mission in 2027, Names ... NASA
  21. Artemis II Multimedia: Crew Photos, Videos and Mission ... NASA

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