NASA is set to announce the crew of the upcoming Artemis III mission, an important test flight before humans return to the moon.
At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 9, NASA will announce the names of the four astronauts who will launch aboard the Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket as soon as next year. The mission calls for Orion to travel to Earth orbit on a test mission to dock with either or both the Blue Origin Mark 2 or SpaceX Starship HLS lander.
One of those will eventually be the landers that transport crews to the moon’s surface during Artemis IV, aiming for a 2028 launch.
Artemis III follows April’s successful Artemis II mission, which took a four-person crew in the Orion spacecraft around the moon in the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years.
The upcoming Artemis III mission is the next step toward getting astronauts back on the moon for the first time since the 1972 Apollo mission. Artemis III is designed as a lower risk test of the landers in Earth orbit.
But Tuesday’s announcement of the crew falls on the heels of some major issues that need to be overcome with the rockets designed to launch those landers, from the explosion of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket last month during a fueling test to problems with SpaceX’s Starship.
Artemis III was originally going to land on moon
The Artemis III mission has already been moved forward on the timeline. While originally set to land astronauts on the moon with either the SpaceX Starship or Blue Origin Mark 2 lander in 2028, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman made the call to change the mission and move it forward amidst SLS rocket delays seen prior to Artemis II.
The reason? Get NASA’s SLS rocket flying more often and test docking the Orion spacecraft with landers closer to home before heading to the moon.
Blue Origin rocket explosion raises lander questions
On the night of May 28, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin was performing a static fire test on its New Glenn rocket ahead of an upcoming Amazon Leo internet satellite launch. When the engines fired, a mishap occurred, causing the rocket to explode on the Cape Canaveral launch pad. The rocket was lost and the launch pad severely damaged in the blast.
It is New Glenn which is poised to launch Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark II lunar lander. Now the question remains: Will Blue Origin be able to rebuild the pad and troubleshoot the rocket before the 2027 launch date?
New Glenn was also set to launch the uncrewed Mark 1 lunar lander later this year in support of NASA’s ambitious moon base plans. While CEO Dave Limp has stated the company will launch by year’s end, it remains to be seen how quickly work can be done — as well as how fast the company can discover the cause of the May 28 loss.
SpaceX’s Starship yet to orbit
SpaceX’s massive Starship launch system will launch the company’s Starship HLS (Human Landing System). While Starship has seen multiple test flights out of Starbase, Texas, the ship has yet to reach orbit and the booster continues to suffer engine woes.
The recent May 22 flight was a success for what SpaceX was trying to achieve. The flight was a test of the new Version 3 (V3), the same that will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. The test saw the ship make it to space and coast for upwards of an hour before splashing down in the Indian Ocean. It also deployed Starlink “simulators”, a technology test with a few of the Starlinks sporting onboard cameras that showed views of the ship as it coasted, valuable data for the SpaceX engineers.
With SpaceX still finetuning Starship and Blue Origin facing rocket troubles plus a damaged launch pad, all eyes are on these companies to see just who will be ready to meet the Artemis III deadline.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA to announce Artemis III astronauts Tuesday. Here’s what to know.
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
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By Brooke Edwards, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
