NASA plans crewed Artemis III orbital lander test for 2027

NASA announced that the crewed Artemis III mission will launch in 2027 into low Earth orbit to test human landing systems. The agency confirmed that the planned 14-day flight will focus on testing test versions of landers developed by industry partners Blue Origin and SpaceX before astronauts return to the lunar surface. Astronauts will launch on board the Orion spacecraft to conduct the operational demonstrations. [1][11]

The crew will consist of NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas, alongside European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano. During the mission, the four crew members and flight controllers will practice rendezvous, docking, habitation, and general operational procedures in orbit. [1]

Four astronauts will launch on board the Orion spacecraft using the Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As FTMQ Space reported earlier, NASA relies on Space Launch System architecture alongside commercial lander contracts. The SpaceX Starship, which serves as one of two landers selected by NASA for Artemis crewed missions, completed its fourteenth launch flight on September 28, 2026. [12][13][14]

The test operations in low Earth orbit will establish critical flight procedures before NASA attempts a crewed lunar surface landing. Latin Times reported that the mission will serve as an orbital precursor prior to the planned Artemis IV lunar landing mission. [1][11]