Artemis III (2027) and Artemis IV (2028) are consecutive steps in NASA’s revised Artemis program. Artemis III is a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) risk-reduction and systems-integration test; Artemis IV is the first planned crewed lunar landing (near the South Pole) since Apollo 17 in 1972.
High-Level Comparison
| Aspect | Artemis III (2027) | Artemis IV (2028). |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Goal | Demonstrate Orion + commercial lander operations in LEO | First crewed lunar surface landing |
| Destination | Low Earth Orbit (~200–350 miles) | Moon (South Polar region) |
| Duration | ~14–17 days | Several weeks (including multi-day surface stay) |
| Crew | Named: Randy Bresnik (CDR), Luca Parmitano (Pilot, ESA), Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas | Not yet announced |
| Launch Vehicles | 3 coordinated: New Glenn (Blue Moon test), SLS (Orion), Starship (test article) | SLS (Orion) + multiple commercial launches for the selected lander system |
| Lander Involvement | Test articles of both Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 2 and SpaceX Starship | One selected flight-ready lander (Starship or Blue Moon), after uncrewed demos |
| Key Operations | Rendezvous/dock with both; crew enters Blue Moon for tests; Starship docking demo only (no crew transfer) | Transit to lunar orbit, transfer 2 astronauts to lander, surface EVAs/science, return via Orion |
Artemis III Details
Launched in 2027 (targeting summer), this is a tightly choreographed LEO campaign. Blue Origin first places a Blue Moon Mark 2 test article into a circular LEO (~273 miles). Orion and its four-person crew then launch on SLS from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39B. After checkouts and orbital phasing, Orion docks with the Blue Moon test article; the crew enters it for roughly two days to evaluate life support, cabin systems, controls, and emergency procedures.
Orion then undocks, SpaceX launches a Starship Version 3 test article (with a forward docking adapter), and they perform a shorter rendezvous/docking demonstration (up to about two hours; no crew transfer into Starship). Remaining days are used for Orion systems tests (including suits), sensors, human-factors work, and science/technology demos before splashdown in the Pacific.
The mission’s purpose is pure risk reduction and operational experience coordinating NASA and commercial teams before any lunar attempt.
Artemis IV Details
Targeted for early 2028, this is the first Artemis surface landing. The four-person crew launches on SLS/Orion. Two astronauts transfer to the selected commercial Human Landing System (HLS) for descent, a multi-day stay (science, EVAs, instrument deployment), and ascent back to Orion in lunar orbit for the return to Earth. NASA has not yet chosen the lander and intends to decide as late as possible based on readiness; both SpaceX and Blue Origin remain in contention, with required uncrewed demonstration landings beforehand. The Lunar Gateway was cancelled, simplifying the architecture.
Provider-specific architectures (as of the October 2026 update):
- SpaceX Starship option: Multiple tanker/depot Starships aggregate propellant in LEO. The fueled Starship HLS docks with Orion in Earth orbit; Starship then performs the trans-lunar injection burn to send the stack to low lunar orbit. Two crew transfer to Starship for the landing. This relies on in-space cryogenic propellant transfer.
- Blue Origin Blue Moon option: Three transfer stages (based on existing hardware) plus the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander are launched (typically on New Glenn). The stages boost the lander to an elliptical polar lunar orbit without spacecraft-to-spacecraft refueling. Orion travels to that orbit and docks there; two crew transfer for surface operations. This offers multiple docking windows and avoids the earlier near-rectilinear halo orbit plan.
Strategic Context
The February 2026 architecture change inserted the LEO test (now called Artemis III) and shifted the first landing to Artemis IV to improve schedule confidence and competition between providers. NASA is also streamlining other elements (SLS/Orion production, lighter Axiom suits) to support a 2028 target while racing China’s 2030 lunar-landing goal. Both missions build on Artemis II’s crewed lunar flyby.
In short: Artemis III is the dress rehearsal in Earth’s backyard; Artemis IV is the actual return to the lunar surface.
