Artemis III
Redesignated LEO lander test targeting 2027; SLS core stage shipping from Michoud 20 April 2026.
On 26 February, NASA redesignated Artemis III as a low-Earth-orbit Orion-Starship docking test for 2027, moving the first potential crewed lunar landing to Artemis IV.
Last refreshed: 22 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Will Artemis III's five open engineering items close before the 2027 launch window?
Timeline for Artemis III
Mentioned in: Lockheed reuse claim still waits for evidence
Artemis II Moon MissionMentioned in: Artemis III capsule powered up at KSC
Artemis II Moon MissionMentioned in: Five open Orion items, no fix dates
Artemis II Moon MissionMentioned in: ESA press release skips valve anomaly
Artemis II Moon MissionMentioned in: Artemis III core stage ships Monday
Artemis II Moon MissionBackground
Artemis III is a planned NASA Artemis mission, repurposed in February 2026 as a low-Earth-orbit test of docking between Orion and SpaceX's Starship lander. NASA no longer plans Artemis III as the programme's first crewed lunar landing.
The mission belongs to NASA's Artemis programme, which combines the Space Launch System rocket, Orion CREW spacecraft and commercial landing systems for lunar exploration. Artemis III links Orion to Starship in orbit, making it an integration test between the programme's government-owned and commercial flight systems.
Its lasting significance lies in testing that connection before a crewed lunar descent is attempted. Artemis IV, rather than Artemis III, is designated as the first potential crewed lunar landing mission.
Artemis III tests docking in orbit
On 26 February, NASA changed Artemis III from a crewed lunar landing into a low-Earth-orbit test of Orion and Starship docking. The redesignation made Artemis III an integration mission, while Artemis IV became the programme's first potential crewed lunar landing.
On 16 April, NASA said Artemis III's core-stage section would leave Michoud for Kennedy Space Center on 20 April, but five Orion engineering items still had no public fix dates. For Artemis III, the hardware move supports preparation for a 2027 test, while the unresolved items remain upstream of flight readiness.