Which company will take people to the Moon? NASA has disclosed the test schedule
NASA has presented the test schedules for the Moon landing vehicles being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin for the Artemis program. According to the plan, in 2027, astronauts will test their docking with the Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit. In the next stage, the vehicles must land on the Moon without a crew to demonstrate their readiness to transport humans.
Which company will take people to the Moon? NASA announced the test schedule
According to Space.com, these schedules were presented by Steve Creech, acting head of NASA's Human Landing System program.
Crucial tests such as orbital refueling, spacecraft docking, and an uncrewed Moon landing are planned by early 2028. Their results will be decisive in selecting the vehicle that will deliver astronauts to the lunar surface.
The launch of the Artemis III mission is scheduled for the third quarter of 2027. Four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft will enter low Earth orbit and perform docking operations with test versions of SpaceX and Blue Origin vehicles.
A Moon landing is not planned for this mission. Its task is to check the mutual compatibility of the spacecraft systems. Based on the results, NASA must determine which vehicle to use for the Artemis IV mission, scheduled for early 2028.
For Artemis III, SpaceX plans to rework one of the existing Starship V3 upper stages. A docking hub and a nose cone protective cover will be installed on it. According to NASA documents, checks on the mechanical compatibility of these elements have been completed.
In the first quarter of 2027, it is planned to integrate the systems necessary to work jointly with Orion and provide a cabin simulator to the astronauts. In the second quarter, flight tests, checking the landing legs, and testing the crew cabin airlock will continue.
However, the test version of Starship participating in Artemis III will not have a cabin for astronauts. It is designed to demonstrate docking with Orion.
Another of the most complex tasks facing SpaceX is the transfer of fuel between spacecraft in orbit. For Starship to head to the Moon, it must receive additional fuel in Earth orbit.
This may require up to ten launches of special tanker ships. They will deliver fuel to an orbital storage vehicle, and the Moon-bound spacecraft will replenish its fuel supply there. The company must prove the reliable storage of cryogenic fuel in space and its transfer from one vehicle to another.
Such refueling will not be required for Artemis III's Earth-orbit tests. SpaceX plans to launch an uncrewed Moon-bound Starship at the end of the third quarter or early fourth quarter of 2027, landing it on the Moon by the end of the year.