NASA has explored alternatives to the moon landing for the Artemis III mission, which is supposed to mark the return of astronauts to the Moon, including the first woman and the first person of color. One scenario suggests that Artemis III will no longer take place on the Moon, but in Earth’s orbit, to test the docking between Orion and the Starship.
This is information from Ars Technica: NASA has explored various alternative scenarios for Artemis III, instead of returning to the Moon for the first time since 1972. Artemis III is scheduled for September 2026 according to NASA’s timeline. This goal is considered unrealistic by many, given the progress, albeit largely insufficient, of SpaceX’s Starship.
An Apollo 9 Remake with the Starship?
As its number suggests, there were ten missions before Apollo 11 in 1969, a long preparation before Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface. In the Artemis program, only two missions are currently planned before the return to lunar soil: Artemis I, which took place in 2022, and Artemis II, scheduled for late 2025.
NASA constantly emphasizes that astronauts’ safety is the priority. Therefore, one can naturally question whether the Starship will not only be ready for a moon landing in September 2026 but also reliable and secure. Many tests are still planned on the SpaceX side before Artemis III, including on the Moon with, for example, a landing carrying a prototype of an Astrolab rover.
On NASA’s side, one of the alternatives being considered is a mission in Earth’s orbit, aimed at testing the docking between the Starship and the Orion spacecraft. Indeed, the astronauts of Artemis III will depart Earth in Orion and will need to dock with the Starship to rendezvous and use it for landing. This alternative, on which NASA has asked SpaceX to reflect, would help characterize the habitability of the Starship under real conditions.
A Flight to the Gateway Station in Lunar Orbit?
Another alternative that has been considered is the development of the future Gateway station in lunar orbit. This would involve a collaborative project with international partners to establish a sustainable human presence around the Moon.
The lunar orbit space station is progressing. One solution could be to swap the order between Artemis III and one of the missions IV, V, and VI dedicated to orbital assembly, which will involve European astronauts. The first non-American astronaut to go to the moon will be Japanese. Another option could be to add a mission to Gateway while waiting for Starship to be ready for a lunar landing. It will also take a lot of time for the lunar walking spacesuits to be ready. The issue with such a mission is its cost compared to an Orion-Starship docking test, which does not necessarily require the use of an SLS to orbit Orion. A less powerful (and less expensive) launcher is sufficient, while the SLS is essential for a flight to Gateway in lunar orbit. Currently, NASA has not commented on any potential changes to the Artemis program. The agency is facing budget cuts as the United States is in the midst of an election year.