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April 7, 2026

NASA's Moon ship and rocket seem to be working well, so what about the landers?

Lori Glaze: 'We have seen real commitment to try and do that… from both Blue and from SpaceX.'

NASA's Moon ship and rocket seem to be working well, so what about the landers?

TL;DR

  • NASA's Artemis II mission is progressing, with the Orion spacecraft's reentry being the next major test.
  • SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon are contracted as Human Landing Systems (HLS) for future lunar missions.
  • NASA has removed the requirement for HLS to dock with the Lunar Gateway in near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) to help accelerate development.
  • Both SpaceX and Blue Origin proposed simplified requirements, and NASA is analyzing the impact on Orion's power and thermal systems.
  • Changes to mission design, such as avoiding NRHO, reduce propellant requirements for the landers.
  • NASA aims for a 2028 lunar landing, with simplified requirements intended to make the landers less demanding and more achievable.
  • Key upcoming milestones include SpaceX's in-flight refueling test and uncrewed demo, and Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mk. 1 launch.
  • The agency is still determining the use of the final Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) for Artemis III.

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