Artemis 3 will become one of the most complex missions in the history of the agency.

Major question: Can all of this work together?

The shift from "lunar landing" to "practice run" is seen as a "prudent move".

According to news from Sky News, U.S., on June 10 (local time).

The Artemis 3 mission, planned by NASA for 2027, appears poised to become one of the most complicated missions in the agency's history—

This mission relies not only on three giant rockets but also on two private lunar lander prototypes that have yet to be built.

Throughout the Artemis 3 mission, SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket and Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket will each launch their respective landers.

The spacesuit prototype manufactured by Axiom Space will be launched aboard the “Blue Moon” lander during Artemis 3, then tested by the Artemis 3 astronauts after the Orion spacecraft docks with the lander.

This is new information.

"During this mission, NASA and Blue Origin will demonstrate rendezvous, docking, hatch operations, ingress, and life support systems in low Earth orbit."

SpaceX plans to launch two Starships before year-end to conduct in-flight refueling demonstrations.

The mission will begin with Blue Origin launching the “Blue Moon” lunar lander using its New Glenn rocket.

Subsequently, the Artemis 3 crew will launch and dock their Orion spacecraft with the “Blue Moon” for testing.

They will maintain this docked state for about two days to perform technical demonstrations and tests inside the new spacecraft.

"After completing the docking operation, the Orion spacecraft will undock and wait for Starship," Parsons said. "The Starship lander test vehicle from SpaceX will launch and rendezvous with both the Orion spacecraft and our crew."

They will remain docked for approximately one day before the Artemis 3 crew separates and prepares for landing.

The complexity of this integrated operation—spanning multiple launches, spacecraft rendezvous, and docking—exceeds that of Artemis 2 in many aspects.

The level of complexity has raised significant concerns.

Despite a clear architecture, three core risks remain regarding whether everything can function cohesively:

1. Insufficient technology maturity:

In-orbit refueling: The lander must receive multiple fuel replenishments in Earth orbit before heading to the Moon—a technology that has not been fully validated.

Spacesuit delays: Although the next-generation extravehicular activity suit (AxEMU) has passed initial review, its reliability under extreme lunar conditions still requires time to verify.

2. Political pressure on timelines:

The Trump administration demanded a crewed lunar landing by 2028, forcing NASA to compress its testing schedule.

Postponing Artemis 3 to near-Earth orbit practice essentially shifts the real lunar landing pressure onto Artemis 4; if Artemis 4 faces further setbacks, the political commitment risks collapse.

3. Budget and supply chain vulnerability:

The SLS rocket costs over $4 billion per launch, and Congress remains divided on continued funding.

Technical failures among commercial partners (such as the New Glenn explosion) could trigger a chain reaction, potentially breaking the entire mission sequence.

Therefore, based on newly disclosed information from June 2026, the original plan for "direct lunar landing" has been adjusted to near-Earth orbit key technology validation to address technological delays and reduce risk.

The shift from "lunar landing" to "practice run" is considered a "wise decision".

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867648727090179/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.