ARTEMIS TRACKER
MISSION 03BUILD PHASE2027

NEXT STOP: RENDEZVOUS IN ORBIT

Artemis III
mission tracker.

Follow Artemis 3: four astronauts, Orion and commercial lander test vehicles. A 2027 Earth-orbit rehearsal before crews return to the lunar surface.

Mission readinessWhat will happen?
Target
2027
Mission
Crewed LEO demo
Crew
4 aboard Orion
Launch
KSC · LC-39B
Artemis III crew: Andre Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik and Frank Rubio
CREW // A3NASA + ESA
FLIGHT CREW
ASSIGNEDDOUGLAS·PARMITANO·BRESNIK·RUBIO
02 · ARTEMIS IIMISSION COMPLETE03 · ARTEMIS IIIHARDWARE INTEGRATION

03 // Flight systems

Mission readiness

A living snapshot of every major system on the road to flight. Open a row for the latest milestone.
SYSTEMIDENTCURRENT STATE
CrewCREW-04Training

Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio are training in Orion systems, mission operations and integrated simulations.

OrionORION-03First power-on complete

After the modules were joined, teams powered on the combined spacecraft and verified electrical and communications connections.

SLSSLS-B1Engine installation

RS-25 engine installation began on 24 August. Twin booster stacking is now more than halfway complete at Kennedy.

Blue MoonHLS-BLUETest article build

Blue Origin is developing the pathfinder expected to launch first and wait for Orion in orbit.

Starship HLSHLS-SPXTest article build

SpaceX is developing a Starship pathfinder for rendezvous, docking and integrated systems checkouts.

Launch windowKSC-39B2027 · Date TBD

NASA lists a 2027 launch. No firm day or countdown is shown until an official date is set.

SOURCE SNAPSHOT27 AUG–15 SEP 2026DATES REMAIN SUBJECT TO NASA UPDATES

Mission profile // Preliminary

What Artemis III will actually do

It will not land on the Moon. It is an Earth-orbit rehearsal for the docking choreography future lunar crews will depend on.
THE SHORT VERSIONLaunch separately. Rendezvous in orbit. Dock. Test. Repeat. Come home.
  1. Artist’s concept of the Blue Moon Mark 2 test article above Earth before docking. 01
    Blue Moon test article · ConceptBlue Origin ↗

    COMMERCIAL LAUNCHES

    Landers deploy

    Blue Moon and Starship test articles launch separately. The Blue Origin pathfinder is expected to wait in orbit first.

  2. SLS launches Orion from Kennedy Space Center during Artemis I in November 2022; archival photograph. 02
    Artemis I launch · ArchiveNASA/Bill Ingalls ↗

    SLS + ORION

    Crew launches

    Four astronauts lift off from LC-39B aboard Orion and complete spacecraft checkouts in low Earth orbit.

  3. Artist’s concept of the Blue Moon Mark 2 test article docked with Orion in Earth orbit. 03
    Blue Moon + Orion · ConceptBlue Origin ↗

    ~2 DAYS CONNECTED

    Blue Moon dock

    Orion rendezvouses and docks. Up to two crew members enter the test article and run integrated technology demonstrations.

  4. Artist’s concept of the Starship test article and Orion preparing to dock in Earth orbit. 04
    Starship + Orion · ConceptSpaceX ↗

    ~1 DAY CONNECTED

    Starship dock

    After undocking, Orion meets the SpaceX pathfinder for a second docking, checkout and integrated vehicle-control campaign.

  5. Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen practise with Orion simulator controls; archival training photograph. 05
    Artemis II training · ArchiveNASA/James Blair ↗

    ORBITAL TEST RANGE

    Systems proven

    Interfaces, software, propulsion, life support and communications are exercised before the first crewed lunar landing.

  6. Orion during recovery operations after the Artemis I Pacific splashdown in December 2022; archival photograph. 06
    Artemis I recovery · ArchiveNASA/Kim Shiflett ↗

    PACIFIC RECOVERY

    Return to Earth

    Orion undocks, re-enters and splashes down. NASA expects roughly two weeks in space, with exact timing set in flight.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Artemis IV’s crew will need to transfer safely between Orion and a commercial lander near the Moon. Artemis III moves the highest-risk integration work closer to Earth first.

Full NASA mission overview

Human landing systems // Two providers

Meet the two Artemis III landers.

Blue Moon and Starship will meet Orion in low Earth orbit. They are test articles for the spacecraft that will later carry astronauts down to the lunar surface.
01 BLUE MOON WAITS IN ORBIT02 ORION BRINGS THE CREW03 STARSHIP JOINS THE TEST
Artist's concept of the Blue Moon Mark 2 test article docked with Orion in Earth orbit01 // BLUE ORIGINBLUE ORIGIN
BLUE MOON MARK 2CREW-CABIN TEST

Blue Moon test article

Blue Origin launches first, placing its vehicle in a parking orbit where it can wait for up to 30 days. Orion docks to the side of the lander and up to two astronauts are planned to enter its crew cabin for integrated checks.

Launch order
First
Docking
Side port
Crew entry
Up to two
Stack control
Orion
Explore Blue Moon
Artist's concept of the Starship Version 3 test article approaching Orion in Earth orbit02 // SPACEXSPACEX
STARSHIP VERSION 3DOCKING TEST

Starship test article

SpaceX launches after the Blue Moon phase. Orion docks nose-to-nose with the 52-metre vehicle to test communications, controllability and the dynamics of the combined stack. The astronauts remain inside Orion.

Launch order
Third
Docking
Nose-to-nose
Crew entry
No
Stack control
Starship
Explore Starship HLS
EARTH ORBIT // NOT A LUNAR LANDINGTwo different spacecraft. Two back-to-back dockings. One chance to prove the interfaces before crews depend on them near the Moon.NASA lander test brief

Flight crew // Assigned 09 Jun 2026

Meet the Artemis III crew.

An experienced international crew blending command, engineering, medicine and long-duration operations.
Randy Bresnik in the official Artemis III mission portrait01NASA / BILL STAFFORD

NASA // 3rd spaceflight

Randy Bresnik

CommanderShuttle and ISS veteran; former Expedition 53 commander and exploration systems lead.View profile
Luca Parmitano in the official Artemis III mission portrait02NASA / BILL STAFFORD

ESA // 3rd spaceflight

Luca Parmitano

PilotFormer Expedition 61 commander and the first ESA astronaut assigned to an Artemis crew.View profile
Andre Douglas in the official Artemis III mission portrait03NASA / BILL STAFFORD

NASA // 1st spaceflight

Andre Douglas

Mission SpecialistSystems engineer and former Artemis II backup and closeout crew member.View profile
Frank Rubio in the official Artemis III mission portrait04NASA / BILL STAFFORD

NASA // 2nd spaceflight

Frank Rubio

Mission SpecialistArmy flight surgeon and record-setting veteran of 371 continuous days in orbit.View profile
BACKUP CREWBob Hines · NASA

Training alongside the prime crew and ready to fill any flight position if required.

Programme track // 2026–2027

Road to launch

Milestones completed, in progress and still ahead. No artificial countdown until NASA sets a launch date.

  1. Artemis II returns

    Orion completes the first crewed Artemis flight and splashes down safely in the Pacific.

  2. Crew assigned

    NASA names the four prime crew members and backup astronaut Bob Hines.

  3. SLS stacking begins

    Twin solid rocket booster segments begin stacking inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.

  4. Orion first power-on

    The joined spacecraft is powered on and its electrical and communications connections are verified.

  5. RS-25 installation begins

    Teams begin installing the four engines that will power the Artemis III SLS core stage.

  6. Multi-launch campaign

    Commercial lander test articles and the crewed SLS/Orion stack launch into low Earth orbit.

Complete Current focus Ahead

Mission essentials // Sources checked 20 Sep 2026

Artemis 3: your questions answered

The launch target, crew and purpose of the next Artemis flight.
When is the Artemis 3 launch date?

NASA lists 2027 as the launch target, not a confirmed day. We show the target year rather than a speculative countdown. NASA mission overview.

Will Artemis III land on the Moon?

No. Artemis III is a crewed demonstration in low Earth orbit, preparing systems for later lunar landings beginning with Artemis IV. NASA mission plan.

Who is on the Artemis III crew?

Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio. Explore their backgrounds in our crew profiles. NASA crew-training report.

Which landers are involved?

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon and SpaceX’s Starship HLS programmes are developing test vehicles for the orbital demonstration, rather than flying a lunar landing on this mission. Plans remain preliminary. NASA lander-test explanation.

Is this a live spacecraft tracker?

Not yet: this page follows mission preparation and published milestones. The readiness board shows its source date; it is not live telemetry. Read the dated hardware briefing.

Where can I find Artemis II coverage?

Our Artemis II archive covers the earlier mission. This homepage now follows Artemis III; the information hub links the wider collection.

Independent coverage, not a NASA website. Mission plans and dates can change. Read our sourced mission briefing.

Illustration of the Artemis II SLS and Orion mission around the MoonMISSION 02 // COMPLETE

ARTEMIS II ARCHIVE

Relive humanity’s return to lunar space.

Revisit the first crewed Artemis flight: launch, Orion’s journey around the Moon, the record-setting farthest distance and Pacific splashdown.

252,756MI FROM EARTH
4CREW MEMBERS
10DAYS · NEARLY
695,081TOTAL MI FLOWN
Replay the missionExplore the archive

ARTEMIS TRACKER / THE COLLECTION

Wear the mission.

Four original T-shirts. Two landers. A little friendly rivalry for the road back to the Moon.

Explore the collection Independent fan merchandise · UK & US print options
Team Blue Moon Mk2 T-shirt artwork
TEAM BLUE MOON
There Can Be Only One T-shirt artwork
THE SHOWDOWN
Team Starship HLS T-shirt artwork
TEAM STARSHIP
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