While the world is still thinking about the record-breaking Artemis II mission that brought four astronauts to the far side of the Moon, the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is getting ready for the next mission.
NASA announced its plans for Artemis III, a mission that will keep astronauts close to the Earth but will be testing the systems they will need for an eventual Moon landing.
It will also be figuring out how to work with “multiple spacecrafts,” and partners before they send astronauts to the Moon, said Jeremy Parsons, Moon to Mars acting assistant deputy administrator.
Artemis III will see the Orion spacecraft take off with a four-person crew. The craft will stay in low-Earth orbit to allow more launch opportunities for each element of the mission, including the Space Launch System (SLS) that will launch the Orion and its crew into space.
It will also give SpaceX and Blue Origin time to test their human landing rocket systems, NASA said.
