NASA says Artemis III will send NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, along with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, into low Earth orbit aboard Orion in 2027 to rehearse operations with test versions of commercial human landing systems from Blue Origin and SpaceX. In an article published Oct. 23, 2026, the agency described a planned 14-day mission intended to reduce risk and validate hardware before astronauts land near the Moon's South Pole in 2028.

Under the plan, Blue Origin would launch a Blue Moon Mark 2 test article first, into a circular orbit about 273 miles above Earth. Orion would follow days later, transition between orbits and dock with the lander, after which the crew would spend about two days aboard evaluating cabin, controls and life-support systems. SpaceX would then launch a Starship Version 3 test article for a docking exercise expected to last up to two hours, without the crew entering.

NASA says remaining time in orbit would support suit evaluations, sensor and environmental measurements, science demonstrations and a study of astronaut health assessments without direct contact with mission control. Orion would splash down in the Pacific Ocean off California, where NASA and the U.S. Navy would recover it.