All articles tagged with #artemis 3
NASA's Artemis program hinges on a Moon spacesuit built by Axiom Space, which is notably heavy (about 300 pounds) and could impose extreme physical stress during daily extravehicular activities, prompting concerns from veteran astronaut Kate Rubins; NASA, while stressing ongoing testing and improvement, weighs Artemis 3 plans and lunar descent options as it finalizes the suit design for the mission.
SpaceX is exploring a simplified approach to its Artemis 3 moon mission, aiming to accelerate lunar exploration using its Starship vehicle, amidst ongoing development and competitive race with China. The company is working on both the core Starship rocket and a lunar lander upper stage, with significant milestones achieved and plans for further testing in 2026. SpaceX emphasizes its commitment to supporting NASA's goal of establishing a sustained human presence on the moon, potentially using Starship for the entire mission.
NASA plans to open the Artemis 3 lunar lander contract to competition due to delays by SpaceX, allowing other companies like Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin to propose solutions, as NASA aims to beat China to the moon.
Experts warn that delays and technical challenges with SpaceX's Starship may cause the US to lose the lunar race to China, which has made significant progress with its lunar missions, potentially beating NASA to the Moon before 2030.
NASA safety advisers warn that SpaceX's Starship lunar lander may face years-long delays, potentially impacting the Artemis 3 moon landing planned for 2027, due to challenges in demonstrating cryogenic propellant transfer and ongoing development issues. Despite SpaceX's achievements in launch operations, broader program uncertainties and schedule risks for Artemis 3 and beyond are raising concerns about mission timelines.
Axiom Space has partnered with Oakley to develop a visor system for its AxEMU spacesuit, designed for lunar exploration during the Artemis 3 mission, featuring advanced optics, gold coatings for UV protection, and dust mitigation, marking a significant innovation in spacesuit technology.
NASA and SpaceX are collaborating to land astronauts on the Moon in 2026 using a modified SpaceX Starship rocket. The Artemis 3 mission will involve the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) transporting two astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon's surface and back, with refueling occurring in low Earth orbit. SpaceX plans to test this refueling maneuver by 2025. The mission will also involve the Orion spacecraft, which will carry four astronauts to lunar orbit, where two will transfer to the Starship HLS for the lunar landing. An uncrewed test landing is planned before the crewed mission.
SpaceX successfully test-fired its Super Heavy booster on July 15, ahead of the fifth integrated flight test of the Starship vehicle. This upcoming flight is the most ambitious yet and aims to build on the success of previous launches. The booster, which is part of NASA's Artemis 3 mission, is designed to be fully reusable and will attempt a controlled return to the launch pad. The next launch is tentatively scheduled for early August.
NASA, in collaboration with SpaceX, has conducted over 200 docking tests between the Starship landing module and the NASA orbiting spacecraft for the Artemis 3 mission, aiming to validate the computer models of the lunar landing module docking system. The tests involved various approach angles and speeds, demonstrating the Starship system's capability for a 'soft capture' while acting as an active docking mechanism, laying the groundwork for long-term scientific exploration on the Moon.
NASA is concerned that the lunar lander version of SpaceX's Starship vehicle will not be ready in time for the Artemis 3 mission in late 2025, given the amount of work needed to get the vehicle ready. Each Starship lander mission requires launching the Starship lander itself as well as several "tanker" Starships to fuel the lander in Earth orbit before it goes to the moon. SpaceX will carry out an uncrewed Starship lunar landing, and also must demonstrate cryogenic fluid transfer in Earth orbit before Artemis 3.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured a stunning image of the Malapert massif region near the Moon's lunar south pole, which is one of several possible locations for the Artemis 3 landing site. The massif formed about four billion years ago and is associated with the South Pole-Aitken Basin. LRO played a key role in the selection of these candidate landing sites, and Artemis 3 is scheduled to launch no earlier than 2025. The proposed landing site appears just above the "5000 m" annotation, and the sheer grandeur of this region makes it a prime candidate, but safety will be a top priority for NASA.