NASA News

Space.com • Josh Dinner

Artemis III set for unprecedented complexity: 4 astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit

NASA is positioning Artemis III as its most complex mission to date, requiring tight coordination across the launch and rendezvous of three different spacecraft. With a crew of four planned and an early two-week in-orbit phase, mission design and integration timelines become central to execution.

1 Source

2026-07-20T09:22:13.785463-07:00

Universe Today

Artemis III: NASA to Run 2027 ‘Dress Rehearsal’ Lander Rendezvous & Docking Ahead of 2028 Moon Return

2 Sources

2026-07-18T20:05:32.160288-07:00

NASA

Serbia becomes Artemis Accords signatory as NASA welcomes 69th partner

4 Sources

2026-07-16T15:50:51.949598-07:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA ends Draper lunar lander effort after major development delays

1 Source

2026-07-17T17:10:04.484630-07:00

NASA News Timeline

Space.com

1 source

Artemis III set for unprecedented complexity: 4 astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit NASA is positioning Artemis III as its most complex mission to date, requiring tight coordination across the launch and rendezvous of three different spacecraft. With a crew of four planned and an early two-week in-orbit phase, mission design and integration timelines become central to execution.

2026-07-20T09:22:13.785463-07:00

Artemis III set for unprecedented complexity: 4 astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit

Space.com

2 sources

Artemis II astronauts visit ESA’s ESTEC in Netherlands as post-flight outreach to European teams begins Artemis II crewmembers visited ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands on 13 July, marking the first stop in a planned series of post-mission visits to the European organizations that supported the program. The astronauts also reflected publicly on the mission’s personal and collective significance.

2026-07-20T08:15:18.272882-07:00

Artemis II astronauts visit ESA’s ESTEC in Netherlands as post-flight outreach to European teams begins

Universe Today

2 sources

Artemis III: NASA to Run 2027 ‘Dress Rehearsal’ Lander Rendezvous & Docking Ahead of 2028 Moon Return NASA plans Artemis III as a key demonstration in 2027, before the first Artemis astronauts land on the Moon’s surface in 2028. The mission will let teams on Earth and in orbit rehearse rendezvous and docking between commercial human landing systems and the Orion spacecraft.

2026-07-18T20:05:32.160288-07:00

Artemis III: NASA to Run 2027 ‘Dress Rehearsal’ Lander Rendezvous & Docking Ahead of 2028 Moon Return

Universe Today

None source

NASA’s Artemis III Lander Test Will be a "Dress Rehearsal" for Returning to the Moon!

2026-07-18T20:05:32.160288-07:00

NASA’s Artemis III Lander Test

SpaceNews.com

1 source

NASA ends Draper lunar lander effort after major development delays NASA and Draper have terminated plans for a lunar lander mission following significant delays in development of the spacecraft. The cancellation marks a setback for the program’s timeline and underscores continuing schedule risk in lunar surface systems procurement.

2026-07-17T17:10:04.484630-07:00

NASA ends Draper lunar lander effort after major development delays

Payload

3 sources

NASA awards SpaceX Starlink contract for Artemis III laser communications in LEO NASA has selected SpaceX to deliver laser communications capabilities for the Artemis III mission using Starlink. The contract supports ship-to-ship communications in low Earth orbit, aiming to improve how Earth-based observers view and monitor planned in-orbit activity in the 2027 timeframe.

2026-07-17T05:58:32.578049-07:00

NASA awards SpaceX Starlink contract for Artemis III laser communications in LEO

NASA

4 sources

❗️

Serbia becomes Artemis Accords signatory as NASA welcomes 69th partner Serbia signed the Artemis Accords on 16 July at a NASA ceremony hosted at the agency’s Washington headquarters, becoming the 69th nation to commit to “peaceful, transparent and responsible” space exploration. The move arrives over two years after Serbia’s original policy alignment with China’s lunar base project.

2026-07-16T15:50:51.949598-07:00

Serbia becomes Artemis Accords signatory as NASA welcomes 69th partner

Space.com

1 source

NASA accelerates Artemis III preparations for 2027 crewed lunar launch on SLS NASA is ramping up preparations for Artemis III, targeting a 2027 launch of its next crewed moon mission. The flight is planned to ride atop the Space Launch System (SLS), and the agency is stepping up work ahead of the astronaut launch next year.

2026-07-15T15:17:08.358902-07:00

NASA accelerates Artemis III preparations for 2027 crewed lunar launch on SLS