If all things fall into their right place, next year will see the departure of the second mission of the Artemis Moon exploration program, and the first one with humans on board. The four astronauts will not land on the lunar surface, but will test the Orion spacecraft for the ones to follow on Artemis III, the flight that will mark the return of humans up there in more than half a century.
Artemis III is scheduled to depart in 2026, and it will be a mission unlike any other in human history. That's because, unlike Apollo, it will not carry a lander with it, but will meet up with this piece of technology in lunar orbit, sent there beforehand by the one designing it, SpaceX.
Elon Musk's company, but also NASA, call the lander the Starship Human Landing System (HLS), a derivation of the spacecraft that just concluded (badly) its sixth test flight earlier this week. It is crucial bit of hardware for the success of Artemis III, and we just got fresh new renderings of it in action on location (check the attached gallery to enjoy them all).
The HLS' mission will go a bit like this: it will launch separately and ahead of the Orion, heading to Earth orbit where it is to be fueled. From there, it will head for lunar orbit, where upon arrival will park itself and wait for astronauts to arrive.
When the Orion reaches the Moon, it will dock with the HLS, to allow the transfer of two astronauts. It will then detach and head for the surface, where it will land. The Starship will become a home for humans for several days, but also a base of operations for the planned exploration missions – they include everything from sample collection to science experiments.
Once the ground mission is complete, the astronauts will once again board the Starship, which will transport them to the Orion for the trip home.
It all sounds pretty easy and straightforward, but the complexity of the procedure requires some tests. As such, SpaceX will have to conduct an uncrewed flight of the HLS to the Moon, at a date that's yet to be determined, to attempt a landing there.
If everything checks out, NASA plans to have SpaceX imagine an improved version of the Starship lander for the Artemis IV mission, presently scheduled for 2028. The new lander will not only have to be able to carry more mass to the surface and back, but it will also have to be able to dock not with the Orion, but with the Gateway space station NASA plans to build in lunar orbit before then. That's because the Artemis IV mission is the one that will bring the space station online.
Aside from the SpaceX lander, subsequent Artemis missions will also rely on a spacecraft developed by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
Elon Musk's company, but also NASA, call the lander the Starship Human Landing System (HLS), a derivation of the spacecraft that just concluded (badly) its sixth test flight earlier this week. It is crucial bit of hardware for the success of Artemis III, and we just got fresh new renderings of it in action on location (check the attached gallery to enjoy them all).
The HLS' mission will go a bit like this: it will launch separately and ahead of the Orion, heading to Earth orbit where it is to be fueled. From there, it will head for lunar orbit, where upon arrival will park itself and wait for astronauts to arrive.
When the Orion reaches the Moon, it will dock with the HLS, to allow the transfer of two astronauts. It will then detach and head for the surface, where it will land. The Starship will become a home for humans for several days, but also a base of operations for the planned exploration missions – they include everything from sample collection to science experiments.
Once the ground mission is complete, the astronauts will once again board the Starship, which will transport them to the Orion for the trip home.
It all sounds pretty easy and straightforward, but the complexity of the procedure requires some tests. As such, SpaceX will have to conduct an uncrewed flight of the HLS to the Moon, at a date that's yet to be determined, to attempt a landing there.
If everything checks out, NASA plans to have SpaceX imagine an improved version of the Starship lander for the Artemis IV mission, presently scheduled for 2028. The new lander will not only have to be able to carry more mass to the surface and back, but it will also have to be able to dock not with the Orion, but with the Gateway space station NASA plans to build in lunar orbit before then. That's because the Artemis IV mission is the one that will bring the space station online.
Aside from the SpaceX lander, subsequent Artemis missions will also rely on a spacecraft developed by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.