NASA has described Artemis III as its most complex mission ever attempted. The planned 14-day flight—potentially extended to 17 days—will involve four astronauts, three rocket launches, three spacecraft and two dockings as the crew tests vehicles and conducts science experiments before returning to Earth.
Three launches and an initial docking
The first launch will be a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket from Florida carrying a prototype lander called Blue Moon. No astronauts will be aboard, and the lander will be placed into low Earth orbit.
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket will then launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with four Artemis III astronauts inside an Orion capsule. The rocket and spacecraft are the same types used for Artemis II, during which astronauts flew around the Moon and returned to Earth.
Orion will also enter orbit around Earth, where the crew will spend two days checking the spacecraft’s systems. On the third day of the mission, Orion will dock with Blue Origin’s Blue Moon. The astronauts will open a hatch and enter the lander, spending two days checking its systems.
A demonstration with SpaceX’s Starship
On the sixth day, SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket will launch from Florida. Its upper stage, called “Ship,” is a prototype lander, although it is not yet equipped as a lander or fitted with life-support systems. Ship will be placed into low Earth orbit.
Orion and its crew will undock from Blue Moon and dock with the SpaceX vehicle. This will be a brief, two-hour demonstration, and the Artemis III astronauts will not be aboard the SpaceX lander.
Tests and science experiments
After undocking, the Orion crew will spend the rest of the mission conducting additional tests and science experiments aboard the capsule before returning home.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
