The lunar landers of the Artemis III mission will be very immature prototypes with basic features
The lunar landers of the Artemis III mission will be very immature prototypes with basic features
A few days ago, NASA announced the crew for the Artemis III mission, which will include Randolph Bresnik (commander, NASA), Luca Parmitano (pilot, ESA), Andre Douglas (mission specialist, NASA), and Frank Rubio (mission specialist, NASA). Bob Hines (NASA) will serve as the backup astronaut. This mission has been modified from previous plans due to Jared Isaacman's (NASA administrator) desire to test the lunar landers in a safe environment compared to deep space, opting for a low Earth orbit mission, similar to what happened with Apollo 9.
The press conference and the official statement outlined what the goals would be and how Artemis III would generally take place, but some details have emerged over the days. For example, it was later explained why no female astronauts were present. During subsequent meetings, further details were provided about the Starship HLS lunar landers and Blue Moon MK2 that will participate in this mission.
Artemis III is currently scheduled for between mid-2027 and the end of the same year. There is no exact date yet, but we know that by the end of 2026 there should be a potential Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) for the NASA SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the Orion capsule that will participate in this mission. The rocket will be similar to what flew during Artemis I and Artemis II, while the upper stage ICPS will be replaced by a version without propulsion systems and tanks. This choice is related to the decision to operate in LEO, thus not requiring additional thrust to reach the Moon.
According to reports, the Artemis III mission will first see the launch of a New Glenn rocket by Blue Origin (if the pad is reconstructed in time) carrying the Blue Moon MK2 prototype, which will wait in orbit for the launch of the NASA SLS rocket and the Orion capsule with the four astronaut crew onboard.
According to Steve Creech (NASA's HLS program manager), the Blue Moon MK2 prototype will be very different from the final version. It will essentially consist of a mockup cockpit, a mass simulator to show the lunar lander's behavior during takeoff from the moon's surface, but it will not have cryogenic propellants (liquid hydrogen and oxygen, present in the final version) but other types of propellants.
The decision not to use hydrogen and oxygen will make its management simpler (it can remain in orbit for up to 90 days) and will allow the ignition of thrusters for attitude control, thus enabling the astronauts, particularly Luca Parmitano, to perform manual maneuvers simulating various situations that may occur in the future. Without cryogenic propellants, the BE-7 thruster will also not be present. After finishing operations inside the Blue Moon MK2 (for about two days), the astronauts will perform the undocking from this lander and head towards the Starship HLS.
In this case as well, we will not be facing a finalized lunar lander, quite the opposite. As previously stated, the Starship of Artemis III will be a third-generation ship (V3) to which a compatible docking system with Orion will be added. Here astronauts will not be able to enter an outfitted cabin but will only perform some docking maneuvers. The duration of this part of the mission will be about one day. In total, the mission will last two weeks. This difference is due to the fact that SpaceX already has experience with ECLSS life support systems thanks to Crew Dragon.
Several astronauts, including those from Artemis III, are already training within realistic mockups to identify all possible issues, make improvements, and understand how the crew of Artemis IV (by the first half of 2028) should behave during the mission that will involve a moon landing. Commander Bresnik has previously collaborated with NASA on lunar landers, thus having good experience with the instruments they will use.
Additionally, we note that by early 2028, the lander that will be chosen for the Artemis IV mission must demonstrate its ability to land on the Moon autonomously, in a mission without a crew. Regardless of the company chosen for the landing mission (potentially SpaceX), it must therefore have at least one 'immature' prototype ready for the Artemis III mission, a more advanced prototype (but not necessarily complete) for an uncrewed landing, and finally a complete version for Artemis IV between mid-2027 and mid-2028.
Yesterday, Dave Limp (CEO of Blue Origin) shared a full video of a static fire of a BE-7 engine, which will be used on Blue Moon lunar landers, including MK2. The test lasted a total of 41.7 minutes, setting a new record for the ignition of a liquid propellant engine with a turbopump. The previous record belonged to the RS-25 thrusters of the Space Shuttle orbiter (which burned for 33.6 minutes).