Nasa has released preliminary details for its planned Artemis III mission, outlining a complex Earth-orbit test flight designed to prepare astronauts and spacecraft for future lunar landing missions. Unlike earlier Artemis missions focused on deep-space travel, Artemis III will remain in low Earth orbit and serve as a major systems demonstration for upcoming Moon landings under the broader Artemis programme. The mission will test rendezvous and docking operations between Nasa’s Orion spacecraft and commercial lunar lander systems being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. According to Nasa, Artemis III is intended to reduce technical and operational risks before Artemis IV, which is expected to send astronauts to the Moon’s south polar region. “While this is a mission to Earth orbit, it is an important stepping stone to successfully landing on the Moon with Artemis IV,” said Jeremy Parsons, acting assistant deputy administrator for Nasa’s Moon to Mars programme. Also Read | Ahead of 2027 launch, Nasa starts Artemis 3 rocket assembly at Kennedy Space Centre The mission will begin with the launch of Orion aboard Nasa’s Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Instead of carrying the rocket’s usual interim cryogenic propulsion stage, Artemis III will use a non-propulsive “spacer” structure that simulates the mass and dimensions of the upper stage. Once in orbit, Orion’s European-built service module will circularise the spacecraft’s orbit around Earth, creating more flexible launch windows for the various spacecraft involved in the mission. Nasa says the mission architecture will involve Orion, a Starship human landing system pathfinder from SpaceX, and a Blue Moon Mark 2 lander pathfinder from Blue Origin. Although final operational plans are still being refined, Nasa indicated astronauts may potentially enter at least one of the lander test vehicles during the mission. Also Read | Can SpaceX and Blue Origin get their moon landers ready for Nasa’s 2028 Artemis mission? Artemis III will also mark the first in-flight test of Orion’s docking system performance while allowing astronauts to spend more time aboard the spacecraft than during the earlier Artemis II mission. The agency also plans to evaluate Orion’s upgraded heat shield during re-entry to support more flexible future lunar return missions. Nasa says the mission will require coordination among multiple commercial and international partners, making it one of the most operationally complex Artemis missions to date. The Artemis programme forms the foundation of Nasa’s long-term plans to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and eventually support future crewed missions to Mars.