Artemis III: the 2027 crewed demonstration mission before the Moon landing

NASA currently targets 2027 for Artemis III. It has not announced a fixed launch date. The schedule depends on Orion, SLS, lander test vehicles, integrated testing and safety reviews.

The mission is planned for low Earth orbit. It will not travel to the Moon under NASA's current mission plan.

The crew will test Orion's ability to approach and dock with one or both commercial human landing system test vehicles from SpaceX and Blue Origin. NASA also plans integrated checks of interfaces, software, propulsion and communications.

These rehearsals reduce risk before astronauts attempt the more complex transfer from Orion to a lander for a lunar surface mission.

No. NASA now plans Artemis III as a crewed demonstration in Earth orbit. Artemis IV, targeted for early 2028, is the mission currently planned to return astronauts to the lunar surface.

Older articles may still call Artemis III the landing mission. That was an earlier plan; check the latest NASA mission page when comparing dates and objectives.

NASA named Randy Bresnik as commander, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot, and NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as mission specialists. Bob Hines is the backup crew member.

The crew will train on Orion and help develop procedures for the docking demonstration. Their assignment was announced in June 2026.