Artemis Lunar Landers Technical Overview

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Key Takeaways

• Two distinct lander systems, SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon, will support sustained lunar exploration.
• The Artemis architecture relies on complex orbital logistics including propellant transfer and the Gateway station.
• Technical challenges such as cryogenic fluid management remain the primary hurdles for the scheduled 2028 landing.

The Vehicles Returning Humans to the Surface

As the world watches the final preparations for the Artemis II launch, scheduled for March 2026, attention is already shifting toward the next monumental leap in the Artemis program : the return of humans to the lunar surface. While the Artemis II crew prepares to circle the Moon, the hardware that will carry subsequent crews down to the regolith is undergoing rigorous development and testing. The Human Landing System (HLS) represents the most significant divergence from the Apollo program architecture. Instead of a single, expendable module carried with the crew, the Artemis landers are massive, reusable spacecraft that rival the size of the space stations of previous decades.

NASA has selected two commercial partners to deliver this capability. SpaceX is developing the Starship HLS for the initial landings, while Blue Origin leads a national team to develop the Blue Moon lander for sustained operations starting with Artemis V. These vehicles differ radically in design, propulsion, and operation, yet they share a common goal: establishing a permanent human foothold on the Moon.

The Architecture of Return

The strategy for returning to the Moon in the 2020s and 2030s is built on a foundation of commercial partnerships and orbital aggregation. Unlike the direct-ascent profiles of the 20th century, Artemis missions utilize a distributed architecture. This approach leverages the specialized capabilities of different vehicles: the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft for crew transport from Earth to lunar orbit, and commercial landers for the descent to the surface.

This separation of functions allows for landers that are significantly larger and more capable than the Apollo Lunar Module. The Apollo lander had a habitable volume of roughly 6.7 cubic meters. In contrast, the Starship HLS offers a pressurized volume comparable to the main deck of a wide-body aircraft. This increased size enables larger crews, longer surface stays, and the delivery of substantial scientific equipment and habitats.

Orbital Logistics and Staging

A defining characteristic of the Artemis lander architecture is the requirement for orbital logistics. Both the Starship and Blue Moon concepts rely on the aggregation of propellant or elements in space. The physics of moving these massive vehicles to the Moon requires more energy than a single launch can provide.

For SpaceX, this involves a campaign of propellant tanker flights to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to refill the lander before it departs for the Moon. For Blue Origin, the architecture involves a tug element and the transfer of liquid hydrogen and oxygen in lunar orbit. This reliance on cryogenic fluid management – transferring super-cold propellants between spacecraft in zero gravity – is a critical technology that both providers must master. The delay of the Artemis III mission to no earlier than 2028, announced in January 2026, underscores the complexity of maturing these technologies.

SpaceX Starship HLS

The first vehicle slated to return astronauts to the Moon is the Starship Human Landing System. Developed by SpaceX at their Starbase facility in Texas, this vehicle is a specialized variant of the company’s fully reusable Starship transportation system. NASA selected this design in April 2021 under the Option A contract, prioritizing its immense lift capacity and potential for rapid reusability.

Vehicle Design and Configuration

The Starship HLS differs visually and functionally from the standard Starship designed for deployment of Starlink satellites or Earth-to-Earth transport. The most notable difference is the absence of aerodynamic control surfaces. Because the HLS operates exclusively in the vacuum of space and the lunar environment, it does not require the flaps and heat shield tiles necessary for Earth reentry. This weight saving allows for increased payload capacity and specific subsystems dedicated to the lunar mission.

Standing approximately 50 meters tall, the HLS is equipped with a band of landing thrusters located high on the vehicle’s body. These mid-body thrusters are essential for the final descent and landing maneuvers. The powerful Raptor engines used for main propulsion would excavate massive craters and kick up dangerous amounts of high-velocity dust if used close to the surface. The smaller, high-mounted thrusters mitigate this risk, ensuring a stable touchdown on the unimproved terrain of the lunar south pole.

The crew quarters are located near the nose of the ship, creating a significant vertical distance between the habitation area and the surface. To bridge this gap, SpaceX has developed a mechanical elevator system. This elevator will transport astronauts and equipment from the airlock down to the lunar surface, a descent of roughly 30 meters.

Concept of Operations

The operational profile for a Starship HLS mission is complex and involves multiple launches:

1. Depot Launch: A propellant depot Starship is launched into Low Earth Orbit.
2. Tanker Campaign: Multiple Starship tanker flights launch from Earth to dock with and refill the depot. The exact number of tanker flights required is a subject of ongoing engineering refinement, with estimates ranging from four to over ten depending on orbital boil-off rates and launch cadence.
3. HLS Launch: The uncrewed HLS launches to orbit and docks with the depot to load its tanks with methane and liquid oxygen.
4. Trans-Lunar Injection: The fully fueled HLS performs a burn to leave Earth orbit and travel to the Moon, entering a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO).
5. Crew Rendezvous: The SLS launches the Orion spacecraft carrying the crew. Orion travels to the Moon and docks with the waiting Starship HLS in NRHO.
6. Descent and Landing: Two crew members transfer to Starship, which then undocks and descends to the lunar surface.
7. Surface Operations: The crew lives aboard Starship for approximately one week, conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs).
8. Ascent: Starship lifts off from the Moon and returns to NRHO to rendezvous with Orion.

Development Status as of February 2026

By early 2026, the Starship program has achieved significant milestones, though challenges remain. The successful test flights of the standard Starship configuration in 2024 and 2025 validated the launch vehicle’s ascent and stage separation capabilities. However, the specific technologies required for the HLS – specifically orbital propellant transfer and the long-duration storage of cryogens – are still in the testing phase.

The propellant transfer demonstrations, originally targeted for 2025, faced delays due to technical hurdles in fluid dynamics management. NASA’s decision to push Artemis III to 2028 reflects a realistic assessment of the time needed to perfect these systems. Despite these delays, hardware production at Starbase has accelerated, with multiple HLS prototypes currently in assembly.

Blue Origin Blue Moon

In May 2023, NASA selected Blue Origin as the second HLS provider to develop a sustainable human landing system for the Artemis V mission. This selection ensures redundancy in lunar access and fosters competition to drive innovation and cost reduction. The Blue Moon lander is developed by a “National Team” led by Blue Origin, which includes Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Draper, and Astrobotic Technology.

Vehicle Design and Configuration

The Blue Moon lander is designed specifically for the environment of the lunar south pole. Unlike the massive, single-stage architecture of Starship, the Blue Moon concept utilizes a more modular approach, although the human landing version is a single-stage reusable vehicle. It stands approximately 16 meters tall, significantly shorter than Starship, which places the crew closer to the surface (though still requiring a ladder or lift system).

The vehicle is powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (hydrolox), the same high-efficiency propellant combination used by the Space Shuttle main engines and the SLS core stage. Hydrolox offers a high specific impulse, meaning it gets more thrust per kilogram of fuel than other chemical propellants. However, liquid hydrogen is notoriously difficult to store for long periods due to its extremely low boiling point. Blue Origin has invested heavily in “zero-boil-off” technology, utilizing cryocoolers to maintain the fuel in a liquid state for the extended durations required by Artemis missions.

The National Team Roles

The collaboration utilizes the strengths of heritage aerospace companies:

• Blue Origin: Lead contractor, program management, systems engineering, and provision of the descent element and BE-7 engines.
• Lockheed Martin: Develops the Cislunar Transporter, a refueling element that ferries propellant from LEO to the lander in lunar orbit.
• Boeing: Provides the docking system and flight software, leveraging experience from the International Space Station and Starliner.
• Draper: Responsible for guidance, navigation, and control systems, as well as flight training simulators.
• Astrobotic: Provides cargo accommodation systems.

Concept of Operations

The Blue Moon architecture for Artemis V involves:

1. Launch: The Blue Moon lander launches aboard the New Glenn rocket.
2. Refueling: The lander travels to NRHO, where it docks with the Lunar Gateway.
3. Crew Transfer: Astronauts arrive at Gateway aboard Orion, transfer to the lander, and descend to the surface.
4. Surface Mission: Following surface operations, the lander ascends back to Gateway.
5. Refuel and Reuse: The lander remains at Gateway. A Cislunar Transporter brings fresh propellant from Earth to refill the lander for the next mission.

Development Status as of February 2026

The Blue Moon program has gained momentum following the successful maiden flight of the New Glenn rocket in January 2025 and its subsequent operational flight in November 2025. These successes have validated the heavy-lift launch capability required to loft the lander hardware. Blue Origin is currently preparing the Mark 1 cargo variant of the lander for a pathfinder mission later in 2026. This uncrewed mission will test the precision landing sensors and the BE-7 engine in the actual lunar environment, reducing risk for the crewed Mark 2 vehicle.

The Role of the Lunar Gateway

The Lunar Gateway serves as the orbital hub for the sustained phase of the Artemis program. While Artemis III is designed to execute a direct docking between Orion and Starship, subsequent missions will utilize Gateway as a staging point. This small space station, orbiting in a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit, provides a stable platform for crew transfers and lander refurbishment.

For the landers, Gateway offers a safe haven. When not in use, landers can remain docked to the station, receiving power and data connectivity. This “parking” capability is essential for reusability, allowing a single lander to service multiple missions over several years. The station also acts as a communications relay, ensuring high-bandwidth data links between the lunar surface and mission control on Earth, even when the landing site is out of direct line-of-sight.

The first elements of Gateway, the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), are in the final stages of integration, with launch targeted for 2027. This timeline aligns with the revised schedule for Artemis IV, ensuring the station is operational before the first sustained lunar landing mission.

Critical Technologies and Challenges

The realization of these landers requires mastering technologies that have never been employed in human spaceflight.

Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM)

Both SpaceX and Blue Origin must solve the problem of storing and transferring cryogenic propellants in space. Liquid hydrogen, used by Blue Moon, must be kept at -253°C. Even a small amount of heat transfer can cause the fuel to boil off, venting precious propellant into space. Starship’s methane is slightly more manageable (-161°C) but still presents significant thermal challenges during the weeks-long coast to the Moon.

Active cooling systems, highly efficient insulation, and rapid transfer pumps are required. The delay of propellant transfer tests in 2025 highlights the difficulty of engineering these systems. Engineers must simulate microgravity fluid dynamics, ensuring that liquid fuel – not gas bubbles – flows into the intake pumps during transfer.

Precision Landing and Hazard Avoidance

The south polar region of the Moon is treacherous. It is characterized by deep craters, towering peaks, and extreme lighting conditions. Unlike the flat equatorial plains targeted by Apollo, the Artemis landing zones are illuminated by the sun at very low angles, creating long, shifting shadows that can obscure terrain hazards.

Both landers utilize advanced LIDAR and optical navigation systems to map the terrain in real-time during descent. These systems compare sensor data with pre-loaded orbital maps to identify a safe landing spot free of boulders or steep slopes. This technology, known as Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN), was successfully demonstrated by the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and is being adapted for the unique optical properties of the lunar surface.

Dust Mitigation

Lunar dust, or regolith, is abrasive and electrostatically charged. The plume generated by a landing spacecraft can scour the surface, damaging sensors and potentially sandblasting nearby hardware (such as the Gateway or Orion if in close proximity, though this is less of a concern for surface landing). For the landers, the concern is the “ejecta sheet” created during touchdown.

Starship’s high-mounted thrusters are a direct response to this challenge. By placing the engines dozens of meters above the surface, the impact of the exhaust plume is minimized. Blue Origin addresses this through trajectory shaping and engine throttling profiles designed to reduce surface interaction.

Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) as Precursors

The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program acts as a vanguard for the human landers. Through CLPS, NASA purchases delivery services from commercial companies to send robotic landers to the Moon. These missions, such as those by Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace, are testing technologies and gathering data critical for human missions.

In 2026, the CLPS manifest includes missions delivering payloads to the south pole to measure radiation, regolith composition, and thermal environments. Data from these robotic scouts directly informs the design of the environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) of the HLS vehicles. For instance, understanding the precise mechanics of how dust levitates near the surface allows engineers to design better seals and filtration systems for the Starship and Blue Moon airlocks.

The Human Experience

Living and working aboard these new landers will be a stark departure from the cramped conditions of the Apollo Lunar Module. The internal volume of Starship allows for private crew quarters, a dedicated galley, and a separate exercise area. This volume is not a luxury; it is a necessity for the week-long surface stays planned for Artemis III and the month-long stays envisioned for later missions.

The Blue Moon lander, while smaller, offers a thoroughly modern habitation environment designed with human factors engineering at the forefront. Features include advanced lighting systems to regulate circadian rhythms, noise suppression to protect crew sleep, and interfaces designed for operation with gloved hands. For those interested in the historical context of those early missions, the book A Man on the Moon offers a detailed account, while the film First Man dramatizes the era.

Surface EVA Operations

The primary purpose of the landers is to facilitate Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), or moonwalks. The airlocks on both vehicles are designed to minimize the loss of atmosphere during depressurization and repressurization cycles. They also serve as “dust rooms,” where astronauts can clean their suits before re-entering the main cabin, preventing hazardous lunar dust from contaminating the living space.

The Axiom Space spacesuits, scheduled for delivery in time for the Artemis III mission, are designed to integrate seamlessly with the lander systems. The landers provide the recharging and replenishment stations for the portable life support systems on the suits, allowing for EVAs lasting up to eight hours.

Looking Ahead: Sustained Presence

The development of Artemis landers is not an end in itself but the beginning of a long-term infrastructure project. As flight rates increase in the late 2020s and early 2030s, these vehicles will evolve. SpaceX envisions Starship as a general-purpose cargo hauler, capable of delivering heavy machinery, pressurized rovers, and eventually components for a fixed surface base. Blue Origin sees the Blue Moon architecture as a reusable ferry that will form the backbone of a Cislunar economy.

The successful flight of Artemis II in 2026 will serve as the catalyst for this next phase. It will validate the crew transportation leg of the journey, leaving the final leg – the landing – as the remaining hurdle. With hardware for both Starship and Blue Moon currently in production, the physical reality of these vehicles is catching up to the ambitious architectural drawings. The delay of the first landing to 2028 provides the necessary breathing room to ensure that when humans do return to the Moon, they do so in vehicles that are safe, reliable, and capable of staying.

The path to the Moon is paved with technical challenges, but the solutions being engineered today by SpaceX and Blue Origin promise to open the lunar surface to humanity in a way that was impossible fifty years ago. The era of visitation is ending; the era of inhabitation is approaching.

Summary

The Artemis lunar landers represent a paradigm shift in space exploration hardware. Moving away from expendable, single-purpose vehicles, NASA has incentivized the creation of massive, reusable systems capable of hauling heavy cargo and supporting large crews. SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon provide dissimilar but complementary capabilities, ensuring redundancy and robust access to the lunar surface. While technical hurdles regarding cryogenic fluid transfer and orbital logistics have pushed the first landing to 2028, the successful launch operations of the New Glenn rocket and the imminent Artemis II mission in February 2026 signal that the components of this complex architecture are coming together. The next few years will be defined by the rigorous testing of these landers in the vacuum of space, setting the stage for the next giant leap.

10 Best Selling Books About NASA Artemis Program

NASA’s Artemis Program: To the Moon and Beyond by Paul E. Love

This book presents a plain-language tour of the NASA Artemis program, focusing on how the modern Moon campaign connects the Space Launch System, Orion spacecraft, and near-term Artemis missions into a single lunar exploration roadmap. It emphasizes how Artemis fits into long-duration human spaceflight planning, including systems integration, mission sequencing, and the broader Moon-to-Mars framing.

View on Amazon

NASA’s Artemis Program: The Next Step – Mars! by Paul E. Love

This book frames Artemis as a stepping-stone campaign, describing how lunar missions are used to mature deep-space operations, crew systems, and mission architectures that can be adapted beyond cislunar space. It connects Artemis mission elements – such as Orion and heavy-lift launch – back to longer-horizon human spaceflight planning and the operational experience NASA expects to build on the Moon.

View on Amazon

The Artemis Lunar Program: Returning People to the Moon by Manfred “Dutch” von Ehrenfried

This book provides a detailed narrative of the Artemis lunar program’s rationale, structure, and constraints, including how policy, budget realities, and technical dependencies shape mission design and timelines. It places current lunar exploration decisions in context by contrasting Artemis-era choices with Apollo-era precedents and post-Apollo program history.

View on Amazon

Returning People to the Moon After Apollo: Will It Be Another Fifty Years? by Pat Norris

This book examines the practical obstacles to sustained lunar return after Apollo and explains how modern programs – including Artemis – try to solve persistent challenges like cost growth, schedule instability, and shifting political priorities. It focuses on the engineering and program-management realities that determine whether a lunar initiative becomes repeatable human spaceflight or remains a one-off effort.

View on Amazon

The Space Launch System: NASA’s Heavy-Lift Rocket and the Artemis I Mission by Anthony Young

This book explains the Space Launch System as the heavy-lift backbone for early Artemis missions and uses Artemis I to illustrate how design tradeoffs translate into flight test priorities. It describes how a modern heavy-lift rocket supports lunar exploration objectives, including Orion mission profiles, integration complexity, and mission assurance requirements for human-rated systems.

View on Amazon

NASA’s SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM REFERENCE GUIDE (SLS V2 – August, 2022): NASA Artemis Program From The Moon To Mars by National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This reference-style book concentrates on the Space Launch System’s role in the NASA Moon program, presenting the vehicle as an enabling capability that links Artemis mission cadence to payload and performance constraints. It is organized for readers who want an SLS-centered view of Artemis missions, including how heavy-lift launch supports Orion and the broader lunar exploration architecture.

View on Amazon

RETURN TO THE MOON: ORION REFERENCE GUIDE (ARTEMIS 1 PROJECT) by Ronald Milione

This book focuses on the Orion spacecraft and uses Artemis I as the anchor mission for explaining Orion’s purpose, deep-space design, and how it fits into NASA’s lunar exploration sequencing. It presents Orion as the crewed element that bridges launch, cislunar operations, and reentry, highlighting how Artemis missions use incremental flight tests to reduce risk before crewed lunar flights.

View on Amazon

Artemis Plan: NASA’S Lunar Exploration Program Overview: Space Launch System (SLS) – Orion Spacecraft – Human Landing System (HLS) by National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This book presents a program-level overview of Artemis, treating the Space Launch System, Orion, and the Human Landing System as an integrated lunar campaign rather than separate projects. It reads like a structured briefing on how NASA organizes lunar exploration missions, with attention to architecture choices, mission roles, and how the components fit together operationally.

View on Amazon

Artemis After Artemis I: A Clear Guide to What’s Next for NASA’s Moon Program, 2026-2027 and Beyond by Billiot J. Travis

This book describes the post–Artemis I pathway and focuses on how upcoming crewed flights and landing preparations change operational demands for Orion, launch operations, and lunar mission readiness. It is written for readers tracking the Artemis schedule and mission sequencing who want a straightforward explanation of what has to happen between major milestones.

View on Amazon

Artemis: Back to the Moon for Good: The Complete Guide to the Missions, the Technology, the Risks, and What Comes Next by Frank D. Brett

This book summarizes Artemis missions and associated lunar exploration systems in a single narrative, tying together mission purpose, technology elements, and the operational steps NASA uses to progress from test flights to sustained lunar activity. It emphasizes practical comprehension of Artemis hardware and mission flow for adult, nontechnical readers following lunar exploration and human spaceflight planning.

View on Amazon

Appendix: Top 10 Questions Answered in This Article

What are the two main companies developing landers for the Artemis program?

NASA has selected SpaceX and Blue Origin as the two primary commercial partners. SpaceX is developing the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) for the initial landings, while Blue Origin leads a “National Team” to develop the Blue Moon lander for sustained operations starting with Artemis V.

When is the first crewed lunar landing scheduled to take place?

As of January 2026, NASA has officially delayed the Artemis III mission, which includes the first crewed landing, to no earlier than 2028. This schedule adjustment allows additional time for the development and testing of critical technologies like the Starship HLS and orbital propellant transfer.

How does the size of the Starship HLS compare to the Apollo Lunar Module?

The Starship HLS is significantly larger than the Apollo Lunar Module, standing approximately 50 meters tall compared to the Apollo lander’s 7 meters. Starship offers a pressurized volume comparable to the main deck of a wide-body aircraft, whereas the Apollo module had a habitable volume of only about 6.7 cubic meters.

Why does the Starship HLS need to be refilled in orbit?

The Starship HLS requires orbital refilling because lifting such a massive vehicle and its fuel payload to the Moon in a single launch is beyond the capability of current rockets. SpaceX’s architecture involves launching the lander to Earth orbit and then launching multiple tanker flights to transfer methane and liquid oxygen, providing the energy needed for the lunar transit and landing.

What is the “National Team” led by Blue Origin?

The National Team is a consortium of aerospace companies collaborating on the Blue Moon lander. Led by Blue Origin, the team includes Lockheed Martin (providing the Cislunar Transporter), Boeing (docking systems), Draper (guidance and navigation), and Astrobotic (cargo systems).

What propellants do the Artemis landers use?

SpaceX’s Starship HLS uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen (methalox), while Blue Origin’s Blue Moon uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (hydrolox). Hydrolox offers higher efficiency but presents greater storage challenges due to the extremely low temperature required for liquid hydrogen.

How will astronauts get from the top of the Starship HLS to the lunar surface?

Because the crew quarters on Starship are located near the nose, roughly 30 meters above the ground, astronauts will use a mechanical elevator system to reach the surface. This is a significant change from the ladders used on the much shorter Apollo landers.

What is the role of the Lunar Gateway in the landing architecture?

The Lunar Gateway is a small space station in lunar orbit that will serve as a staging point for Artemis missions after Artemis III. Landers will dock at Gateway to transfer crew and supplies, and the station will facilitate the refueling and reuse of landers for multiple missions.

What is Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) and why is it important?

Cryogenic Fluid Management involves storing and transferring super-cold liquid propellants in the weightless environment of space. It is a critical technology for Artemis because both lander designs rely on transferring fuel in orbit and keeping it from boiling off during long-duration missions.

How do the landers handle the challenge of lunar dust during landing?

To mitigate the effects of abrasive lunar dust, Starship HLS utilizes high-mounted thrusters located mid-body rather than its main engines for the final descent, minimizing plume interaction with the surface. Blue Origin addresses this through specific trajectory shaping and engine throttling profiles to reduce the velocity of dust ejecta.

Appendix: Top 10 Frequently Searched Questions Answered in This Article

Why was the Artemis 3 moon landing delayed?

The Artemis 3 landing was delayed to 2028 primarily due to development challenges with the Starship Human Landing System and the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. Specific technical hurdles include the complex process of transferring cryogenic propellant in orbit and the need for uncrewed demonstration flights before humans fly.

What is the difference between Starship and Blue Moon landers?

Starship is a massive, 50-meter-tall vehicle powered by methane that uses an elevator for surface access and relies on Earth-orbit refueling. Blue Moon is a smaller, 16-meter-tall vehicle powered by hydrogen that uses a ladder or lift and relies on a cislunar transporter for refueling near the Moon.

Will Starship land on the Moon in 2026?

No, a crewed Starship landing will not happen in 2026. While uncrewed testing and demonstrations were planned for this timeframe, the first crewed landing on the Moon has been pushed to no earlier than 2028.

How many astronauts will walk on the Moon in Artemis 3?

Two astronauts will descend to the lunar surface aboard the Starship HLS for the Artemis 3 mission. Two other crew members will remain in lunar orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft to monitor the mission and support the surface team.

What is the Artemis 2 mission doing?

Artemis 2 is a flight test sending four astronauts on a journey around the Moon and back without landing. Scheduled for February 2026, it serves to validate the life support, communication, and navigation systems of the Orion spacecraft before a landing attempt is made.

How long will astronauts stay on the Moon?

For the initial Artemis III mission, astronauts are scheduled to stay on the lunar surface for approximately one week (6.5 days). Future missions utilizing the Gateway station and upgraded landers aim to extend these surface expeditions to 30 days or longer.

Does China have a moon lander?

Yes, China is developing its own human lunar lander as part of its goal to put astronauts on the Moon by 2030. Their architecture is similar to Apollo, utilizing a separate crew vehicle and lander that dock in lunar orbit, contrasting with the massive reusable landers of the Artemis program.

Why is NASA using commercial companies for landers?

NASA chose commercial partners like SpaceX and Blue Origin to foster competition, lower costs, and accelerate innovation. By purchasing “services” rather than owning the hardware, NASA encourages the private sector to develop sustainable space infrastructure that can serve customers beyond the government.

What rocket will launch the Blue Origin moon lander?

The Blue Moon lander will launch aboard Blue Origin’s own heavy-lift rocket, the New Glenn. The New Glenn rocket successfully completed its first operational flights in 2025, validating its capability to carry heavy payloads to orbit.

Is the Lunar Gateway necessary for landing on the Moon?

The Lunar Gateway is not strictly required for the first landing (Artemis III), which will use a direct docking between Orion and Starship. However, it is essential for the sustainable, long-term phase of the program (Artemis IV and beyond) to allow for lander reuse, refueling, and access to different landing sites across the Moon.