The next Artemis mission will remain in low Earth orbit and test docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin lunar landers. The New Glenn explosion could delay the 2028 manned landing plan.
NASA has announced the four-member crew for Artemis 3, the next mission in the US lunar return program: Randy Breznik will be the mission commander, Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency will be the pilot, and Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio will serve as mission specialists. NASA also announced that astronaut Bob Haynes will serve as a backup crew member. This is the first time an ESA astronaut has been assigned to an Artemis mission. (NASA)
Despite its name, Artemis 3 is not intended to reach the Moon. According to NASA, the mission will launch in 2027 using the SLS launcher and will bring the Orion spacecraft with the crew into low Earth orbit. There, Orion will conduct a series of rendezvous and docking tests with experimental versions of the manned lunar landers being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. The goal is to reduce risks ahead of Artemis 4, which is scheduled to be the first manned mission in the program to land in the lunar south pole region, not before 2028.
Dress rehearsal before landing
The Artemis 3 mission plan demonstrates how much the architecture of lunar exploration has changed since the Apollo days. Instead of a single spacecraft carrying all the mission components, NASA is planning a multi-phase launch campaign: a Blue Origin test lander is scheduled to launch first and wait in orbit, followed by Orion with astronauts, and later a prototype of SpaceX's Starship lander is scheduled to join. The crew will enter the landers and test systems, software interfaces, communications, docking, and co-existence in space, but will not go into lunar orbit or land on the lunar surface.
The mission is expected to last about two weeks, depending on the success of the launches, rendezvous and docking tests. Parmitano, who previously commanded the International Space Station, brings extensive European experience in manned flights. Rubio holds the American record for continuous spaceflight — 371 days. For Douglas, this will be his first spaceflight.
The explosion that complicates the schedule
The crew announcement comes days after a major incident at Blue Origin. On May 28, 2026, a New Glenn rocket exploded during a static ignition test on the launch pad at the LC-36 facility at Cape Canaveral. The rocket was not carrying crew or operational payloads, but the incident destroyed the vehicle and damaged the only launch pad from which the company can currently launch New Glenn. The cause of the explosion has not yet been announced.
The significance goes far beyond Blue Origin. New Glenn is set to launch the Blue Moon landers, including robotic missions and payloads related to NASA's lunar program. In September 2025, NASA even selected Blue Origin to land the VIPER rover at the lunar south pole using the Blue Moon MK1 lander, after previously canceling the project and seeking alternative solutions.
Blue Origin is trying to convey control of the situation. Company CEO Dave Limp said that the fuel tanks, oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks, and the water tower were not critically damaged, and that the support tower will need repair rather than rebuilding. The company even stated that it aims to return to launches before the end of 2026. On the other hand, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNBC that repairing the launch pad could take “a significant amount of time,” and that a scenario of a full return only in 2028 is within the realm of possibility. (spaceflightnow.com)
The race against China
The possible delay sharpens the broader strategic question: Will the United States be able to return astronauts to the moon before China lands its own crew there, a goal China has set for around 2030. The Artemis program currently relies on a complex mix of NASA, international space agencies, and private companies. This structure allows for flexibility and innovation, but also makes the schedule highly sensitive to failures by a single commercial supplier.
Meanwhile, NASA is presenting Artemis 3 as a necessary step on the way to the landing itself: not a flashy lunar mission, but a major engineering experiment designed to make sure the spacecraft, landers, and crew can work together in space. The success of the mission could determine whether Artemis 4 can meet the 2028 goal—or whether the American return to the moon will be delayed again.
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