Artemis III
Summary of the Artemis III mission plan | |
| Names | Exploration Mission-3 (2017–2019) |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Crewed lunar landing |
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | ~30 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Orion CM-004 Starship HLS |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET mid-2027 (planned) |
| Rocket | Space Launch System Block 1 |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39B |
| End of mission | |
| Landing site | Pacific Ocean (planned) |
| Moon lander | |
| Landing site | South polar region |
Artemis III is planned to be the first crewed Moon landing mission of the Artemis program and the first crewed flight of the Starship HLS lander. Artemis III is planned to be the second crewed Artemis mission and the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972. As of December 2024, NASA officially expects Artemis III to launch no earlier than mid-2027 due to heat shield issues on Orion and valve problems in the spacecraft's life support system.
In August 2023, due to delays in the development of Starship, NASA officials expressed an openness to flying Artemis III without a crewed landing. In this case, the mission may become a crewed visit to the Lunar Gateway. In April 2024, it was reported that alternative mission options being internally evaluated by NASA include a test of docking between Orion and Starship HLS in low Earth orbit. Due to the second Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, which involves major budget cuts for NASA, Artemis III could be the final mission to use the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.