NASA is considering an Artemis mission in low Earth orbit – AstronautNEWS

There is no official news yet but many clues suggest that NASA is considering a review of the planning of the Artemis missions. Multiple sources have confirmed that the US space agency is studying alternatives to landing two astronauts on the Moon with the Artemis III mission scheduled for September 2026, due to concerns about the availability of the means and the complexity of the mission.

NASA recently stated that it has goals for the crewed test flight of the Artemis II mission in September 2025, and the Artemis III mission, to land astronauts near the lunar South Pole in September 2026. NASA evaluates the progress and state of affairs. If a particular piece of hardware is not available as planned, the space agency will evaluate alternatives with crew safety as the number one priority.

Regardless of official statements, one of the options currently under consideration would involve the launch of an Orion spacecraft with astronauts on board for a rendezvous in low Earth orbit (LEO) with a Starship vehicle, launched separately by SpaceX. During this mission, conceptually similar to the Apollo 9 precursor mission to the Apollo 11 lunar landing, the crew would validate Orion’s docking capability with Starship as well as habitability within the Starship. A possible alternative would see the launch of a crew on an Orion vehicle to fly towards the Lunar Gateway, placed in lunar orbit, and then return to Earth.

An unrealistic timeline

The target date for the Artemis II mission appears optimistic but potentially feasible if NASA can resolve the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield issues. However, thinking of a Moon landing in September 2026 appears unrealistic today. The biggest obstacles for the Artemis III mission are the lack of a lander, which SpaceX is developing through its Starship program, and spacesuits, a project managed by Axiom Space, for excursions on the lunar surface. In fact, it is not clear when the lander and suits will be available, projects that NASA has only started funding in the last two or three years.

The problems linked to the Artemis III mission are not only linked to the availability of the means but there are also concerns relating to the considerable complexity of the mission, which will require a series of steps never carried out until now: the Orion-Starship rendezvous, the docking in lunar orbit, the descent, the landing, the ascent from the Moon, the new Orion-Starship docking and the return to Earth. Mission planners would feel more at ease if they could reduce Artemis III’s risks by validating some of these delicate maneuvers before the Moon landing mission.

This is why NASA asked SpaceX to consider an Orion-Starship docking mission to perform in Earth orbit. Such a mission, called Artemis IIS or Artemis III, could solve many problems and eliminate many doubts, so much so that it is currently the preferred option. It would basically test the capabilities of the two spacecraft to dock in an environment where, if there were a problem, it would be much easier for the crew to return safely home. This mission would also validate the astronauts’ ability to live inside the spacecraft and perform certain maneuvers.

Furthermore, and no less importantly, such a mission would allow the space agency to reduce the objective gap that currently exists between the Artemis II and Artemis III missions.
It is not yet known when SpaceX’s Starship vehicle will be fully available. The company is particularly known for its dynamic vehicle development, but there is still a huge amount of work to be completed.

SpaceX still needs to get the vehicle flying regularly before it can begin conducting refueling tests. These tests will be essential to make the refueling operation of vehicles in orbit reliable, remembering that nothing similar has ever been attempted on this scale. SpaceX must then learn to operate Starship in deep space, land on the Moon and, crucially, lift off from the lunar surface a few days later to rendezvous with Orion again so the astronauts can return home. This validation process can be resolved through design and testing, but it will take time.

A difficult decision

A mission profile that involves an Earth orbit encounter with Orion would solve many problems by making the mission development phase easier. SpaceX should be able to fly Starship into low Earth orbit with a functional life support system. This option could be feasible in the next two years.

The Starship-Orion mission would have another advantage that distinguishes it from a mission to the Lunar Gateway: It could be performed without resorting to using a powerful upper stage on the SLS rocket. For its first three Artemis missions, NASA will use an “interim” upper stage based on the Delta rocket produced by United Launch Alliance on SLS. Since production of Delta rockets has ceased, it is unclear whether further stages of this launcher can be produced at a reasonable cost in the future.

While a mission to the Lunar Gateway would require the use of an interim upper stage to launch Orion into lunar orbit, the use of a “powerful” second stage would not be necessary for the rendezvous mission to Earth orbit. This option would allow NASA to save the last temporary upper stage still available for use in the first lunar landing mission. Subsequently, NASA will have to use a second “final” SLS stage, the Exploration Upper Stage. But this new phase will not be possible before 2028.

NASA is particularly sensitive today to a possible revision of the Artemis plans because it is facing a budget cut and perhaps because this is a presidential election year. There are whispers that the agency does not wish to announce any further delays or changes in Artemis plans until at least next year, although it appears that no final decision on the revision of the Artemis III mission has been made to date.

One reason for this apparent indecision appears to be that the agency wants to make it clear to politicians and Congress that it holds Artemis program contractors truly responsible for their performance. The agency said it has asked all partners to make every effort to operate on schedule to ensure NASA can achieve its Moon-Mars exploration goals, reiterating that agreements have been signed with suppliers ( SpaceX, Axiom Space and others) and establish milestones based on the technical details and guarantees they provide.

Source: Ars Technica