Artemis III eyes dual lander rendezvous with Blue Origin and SpaceX, NASA says
TL;DR
NASA confirmed Artemis III for 2027 and outlined a dual‑lander plan: the crew would dock in low Earth orbit with both a Blue Origin lunar lander and SpaceX Starship; SLS readiness is being boosted with a short-stack wet dress rehearsal and a spacer upper stage, while Blue Origin’s lander tests proceed with Mk1 configurations and BE‑7 engines. The mission targets a -33°, roughly 230–250 nautical mile circular orbit to enable orbital rendezvous tests and reduce risk, with flexibility to launch the lander on alternative rockets if needed.
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- NASA Marches Toward Artemis III Mission in 2027, Names Crew Members NASA (.gov)
- NASA taps US astronauts, Italian for Artemis mission with SpaceX, Blue Origin mooncraft Reuters
- NASA head defends Artemis 3 crew of all men Yahoo
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