Artemis III Live Tracker

Artemis III is a crewed NASA test flight, targeted for 2027, that will demonstrate rendezvous and docking between the Orion spacecraft and human landing system (HLS) test articles from Blue Origin and SpaceX. It validates the hardware and interfaces needed before astronauts land on the Moon on Artemis IV.

No. Artemis III is a docking-demonstration test flight, not a landing mission. NASA rescoped the campaign so that the first crewed lunar south-pole landing now takes place on Artemis IV in 2028. On Artemis III, the crew tests docking with landing-system hardware in space.

Artemis III is targeted for 2027. NASA has not set a firm launch date; the schedule depends on the readiness of the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and the human landing system test articles.

About two weeks in space. The crew spends roughly two days docked with Blue Origin's Blue Moon test article and about a day connected to SpaceX's Starship test article, with additional time for orbital checkout and integrated systems tests.

NASA named the crew in 2026: Commander Randy Bresnik (NASA), Pilot Luca Parmitano (ESA), and Mission Specialists Andre Douglas (NASA) and Frank Rubio (NASA). Bob Hines serves as backup.

Randy Bresnik, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and veteran NASA astronaut, commands Artemis III. He previously flew on space shuttle mission STS-129 and commanded the International Space Station during Expedition 53.

Pilot Luca Parmitano flies as a European Space Agency astronaut, reflecting ESA's major contributions to Artemis - including the European Service Module that powers Orion. He was the first Italian to command the International Space Station.

Artemis III launches on NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and carries the crew in the Orion spacecraft, the same vehicles used on Artemis I and Artemis II. The human landing system test articles are provided by Blue Origin and SpaceX.

A human landing system is the spacecraft that carries astronauts from lunar orbit down to the Moon's surface and back. NASA has contracted two - Blue Origin's Blue Moon and SpaceX's Starship. Artemis III tests docking with versions of these vehicles in space before they are used to land crew on Artemis IV.

It proves that Orion and a human landing system can safely rendezvous and dock in space, and that their integrated hardware - system interfaces, software, propulsion, and communications - works together. These are the exact operations a real landing mission depends on.

Yes. The mission is planned to demonstrate docking with test versions from one or both American commercial human landing systems - Blue Origin's Blue Moon and SpaceX's Starship - reducing risk by exercising hardware from both providers.

Artemis III is focused on rendezvous, docking, and integrated systems testing rather than surface operations. There are no lunar surface EVAs - astronauts do not walk on the Moon on this mission. Surface activities begin with the Artemis IV landing.

Artemis II (2026) was a crewed lunar flyby that tested Orion with a crew aboard. Artemis III stays closer to home but takes the next step: docking Orion with human landing system test articles to prove the hardware needed for an actual Moon landing.

Under the current plan, the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 takes place on Artemis IV in 2028, when astronauts descend to the Moon's south pole using a human landing system. Artemis III (2027) is the crewed docking-demonstration flight that comes first.

Artemis is NASA's program to return humans to the Moon and build a sustainable presence there as a stepping stone to Mars. It includes the SLS rocket, the Orion spacecraft, commercial human landing systems, and international partners contributing hardware such as ESA's European Service Module.

Use this Artemis III tracker for the crew, mission timeline, the latest NASA news, and an image gallery, plus a dedicated page on the rendezvous and docking demonstration. NASA also provides live coverage on NASA+, its YouTube channel, and the NASA app as the mission approaches.