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NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans

- NASA plans Artemis III (May 2026) as a crewed Earth‑orbit test of rendezvous and docking between Orion and commercial lander test articles from Blue Origin and SpaceX. - The mission will fly four astronauts on SLS/Orion, use a non‑propulsive spacer to mimic an upper stage, and circularize in low Earth orbit via Orion’s European service module. - Objectives include docking demonstrations, extended life‑support evaluation, lander interfaces, and an upgraded heat‑shield reentry test. - NASA is refining operations, crew selection timing, communications solutions, and potential CubeSat payload opportunities.

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NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans

NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans

- Artemis III is a crewed Earth‑orbit test to demonstrate rendezvous and docking between NASA’s Orion spacecraft and commercial lander test articles from Blue Origin and SpaceX. - SLS will launch four crew with a non‑propulsive “spacer” upper‑stage mass simulator; Orion’s European service module will

NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans

NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans

- NASA plans Artemis III as a crewed Earth-orbit flight to test rendezvous and docking between Orion and commercial lander test articles from Blue Origin and SpaceX. - SLS will launch four crew aboard Orion with a non-propulsive “spacer” upper-stage mass simulator; Marshall Space Flight Center is fabricating the spacer.

NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans

NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans

- Artemis III will be a crewed Earth‑orbit test next year to demonstrate rendezvous and docking between NASA’s Orion spacecraft and commercial lander test articles from Blue Origin and SpaceX. - The SLS will carry four crew; NASA will use a non‑propulsive “spacer” to mimic the upper