NASA's Artemis III Will Rehearse Moon-Landing Procedures in Earth Orbit
NASA's Artemis III is set to launch in 2027, sending astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano into low Earth orbit aboard Orion to test versions of human landing systems being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
During the planned 14-day mission, crews and flight controllers will practice rendezvous, docking, habitation and operational procedures that will be essential when Artemis astronauts begin landing near the Moon's South Pole in 2028.
During the Starship docking test, the crew will not enter Starship; the demonstration is focused on validating how Orion and Starship interact as a docked system.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
The 14 days are the point: NASA is buying operational experience, not just checking hardware.
The no-entry rule does put a limit on that experience: Starship itself will not be part of the habitation practice.