The Artemis III astronauts will spend longer in space than the Artemis II crew, and the mission will involve rehearsal docking with lunar-landing spacecraft provided by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
As well as this, NASA could soon announce a timeline for the selection of the Artemis III astronauts.
That's according to the latest preliminary outline of Artemis III, the third mission in NASA's ambitious programme to return humans to the Moon.
The announcement follows a decision by NASA, revealed in March 2026, that the Artemis III mission would no longer land on the Moon, as originally planned.
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Instead, Artemis IV is now scheduled to be the NASA mission that returns human feet to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era.
Artemis III will instead practise docking manoeuvres in Earth orbit, to prepare the space agency for landing Artemis IV on the Moon.
Here's what we know so far.
Artemis III – NASA's outline
NASA says Artemis III will be a crewed flight in Earth orbit to test the vital hardware that will eventually carry humans back to the Moon.
The space agency says it will coordinate a single launch campaign involving multiple spacecraft from both SpaceX and Blue Origin, integrating their commercial landers into Artemis operations for the first time.
The primary goal of Artemis III, scheduled to launch in 2027, is to demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities between NASA's Orion spacecraft and two commercial Moon landers.
During Artemis IV, scheduled for 2028, the crew will launch in an Orion spacecraft aboard the Space Launch System rocket, and will then dock with a lander that's already been placed in Earth orbit.
That lander will take the crew to the surface of the Moon. Artemis III will practise these critical manoeuvres.
A new look for the Artemis rocket
One of the key differences between the Artemis II and Artemis III hardware is that, while Artemis II used a traditional propulsive upper stage – i.e. the rocket's upper section had its own booster capabilities to carry the Orion capsule onwards – Artemis III will instead use a 'spacer'.
That spacer is a structural stand-in that mimics the mass and dimensions of an actual upper stage.
It's being constructed at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and will keep the same size as the upper stage between the Orion stage adapter and launch vehicle stage adapter.
Instead of a propulsive upper stage, during Artemis III, Orion’s own European-built service module will take over the heavy lifting and transport the spacecraft and crew into Earth orbit.
Life on board Artemis III and the return home
The four-person Artemis III crew will spend more time in their Orion spacecraft than the Artemis II spent during their mission.
This, says NASA will enable the agency to further evaluate life support systems onboard Orion.
And for the first time, Artemis III astronauts will demonstrate docking procedures with the lander, in preparation for the real docking and lunar landing that will occur during Artemis IV.
The landing spacecraft used during Artemis III will be supplied by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
NASA says the Artemis III crew may even enter one of the landers once docking is completed, to further test the procedures that will be necessary for the success of Artemis IV.
The space agency says it could announce a timeline to reveal the Artemis III crew over the coming weeks, then begin training for the mission.
It may also evaluate the Axiom AxEMU spacesuit lander interfaces ahead of lunar surface missions.
For the journey home, Artemis III could debut an upgraded heat shield on the Orion capsule.
Heat shields protect the astronauts from the extreme heat generated as the Orion spacecraft re-enters Earth's atmosphere.
The upgraded heat shield is designed "to enable more flexible and robust reentry profiles for future missions," NASA says.
"While this is a mission to Earth orbit, it is an important stepping stone to successfully landing on the Moon with Artemis IV. Artemis III is one of the most highly complex missions NASA has undertaken," says Jeremy Parsons, NASA's Moon to Mars acting assistant deputy administrator.
"For the first time, NASA will coordinate a launch campaign involving multiple spacecraft integrating new capabilities into Artemis operations.
"We’re integrating more partners and interrelated operations into this mission by design, which will help us learn how Orion, the crew and ground teams all interact together with hardware and teams from both lander providers before we send astronauts to the Moon’s surface and build a Moon Base there."
