Washington, United States. NASA is adding a spacecraft docking test to its Artemis moon program before landing astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than half a century, amid delays and competitive pressure from China. The agency also announced changes aimed at increasing the flight rate of its Space Launch System rocket.
New Earth-orbit mission and updated Artemis III plans
NASA chief and billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman announced that a new Artemis mission in Earth’s orbit is planned for 2027 and will involve lunar landers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
As part of the updated Artemis III mission, NASA’s Orion astronaut capsule will demonstrate its ability to dock with one or both lunar landers in low-Earth orbit, a process described as a crucial juncture in the agency’s path to the moon.
Isaacman told reporters the added testing is necessary to meet the targeted timeframes and to move faster while minimizing delays across the various spacecraft involved in the program.
Timeline pressures and safety concerns
The changes come as China moves toward its goal of a crewed moon landing by 2030, and as U.S. safety experts warn that more testing is needed before NASA attempts a crewed landing.
NASA’s crewed attempt to land on the moon is now planned as Artemis IV in 2028.
SLS upgrade canceled to focus on production and launch rate
NASA canceled an effort to upgrade its Space Launch System rocket, opting instead to focus on increasing production and the flight rate of the existing rocket, which has been slow relative to newer rockets.
The move affects Boeing’s roughly $2 billion contract to build a more powerful SLS upper stage, and current plans for that upgrade have been canceled.
Isaacman said the changes are intended to help SLS achieve a flight rate of at least one launch per year and enable yearly missions to the moon, compared with the current cadence of one launch every two or three years.
Broader reshuffling and contractor responses
The decisions represent NASA’s most significant reshuffling of its Artemis program since its inception in 2017, as the United States seeks to establish regular lunar missions following the Apollo program, which ended in 1972.
Isaacman said NASA contractors, including Boeing and SpaceX, are aligned with the new goals. Lockheed Martin, which builds the Orion capsule, praised the announcement, and Boeing said its workforce and SLS supply chain are prepared to increase production and the rocket’s flight rate.
What do you think the added docking test will mean for NASA’s timeline to return astronauts to the moon?
