Artemis 3's Moon Landing: SpaceX Starship vs Blue Origin's Moon Lander — Will Either Be Ready by 2028?

NASA’s revised Artemis 3 plan calls for a late-2027 Earth-orbit rendezvous with a lunar landing targeted for 2028, contingent on SpaceX’s Starship HLS and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon being flight-ready. Both landers are making progress but face key milestones: Starship must prove orbital refueling and long‑duration life support, while Blue Moon is progressing with Mk1 cargo tests and Mk2 crewed life-support development. Blue Origin’s New Glenn grounding adds risk, and NASA has told lawmakers it expects one vendor to be ready for the late-2027 docking test, with the landing potentially determining Artemis 4’s schedule.