---
type: source
title: "NASA Overhauls Artemis Program: Artemis III Becomes 2027 LEO Docking Test, No Lunar Landing"
author: "SatNews (@satnews)"
url: https://satnews.com/2026/02/27/nasa-overhauls-artemis-program-scraps-sls-upgrades-adds-2027-leo-test-mission/
date: 2026-02-27
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-04-12
priority: high
tags: [artemis, starship-hls, blue-moon, leo-test, lunar-landing-delay, orion, sls]
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

NASA expedited Artemis III to mid-2027, but redesigned it as a Low Earth Orbit rendezvous and docking test — not a lunar landing. The Orion spacecraft (SLS launch) will rendezvous in Earth orbit with one or both commercially developed Human Landing System vehicles: SpaceX's Starship HLS and Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2.

Mission objectives:
- Test rendezvous and docking operations between Orion and HLS vehicles
- Evaluate AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) spacesuits
- Test propulsion, life support, and communications systems of HLS vehicles
- Decision on whether one or both vehicles participate pending development progress

This overhaul also scrapped planned SLS Block 1B and Block 2 upgrades. The decision was finalized in late February 2026.

Status context as of March 2026:
- SpaceX: Neither ship-to-ship propellant transfer demonstration nor design certification review had occurred (both slated for 2025, now slipped)
- SpaceX reported 30+ HLS-specific milestones completed (power, comms, guidance, propulsion, life support, space environments)
- Blue Moon Mark 2 remains a potential backup if Starship isn't ready for Artemis III

This shifts the first crewed lunar landing to Artemis IV (early 2028), not Artemis III.

Additional coverage:
- NextBigFuture: "Artemis 3 is a Low Earth Orbit Rendezvous Test"
- FlightGlobal: "NASA turns to Artemis III after successful return of Orion crew" (post-Artemis II splashdown, April 11)
- FlyingMag: "Next Up For the Artemis Moon Mission Program? NASA Doesn't Quite Know"

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** Establishes the clean Artemis sequence: II (lunar flyby, complete) → III (LEO docking test, 2027) → IV (first crewed lunar landing, 2028) → V (second landing, late 2028). This maps the critical path for the surface-first attractor state. First crewed lunar surface operations are 2028, consistent with Project Ignition Phase 2 (2029-2032) but not accelerated beyond it.

**What surprised me:** The Artemis III redesign is genuinely surprising — taking what was supposed to be the first crewed lunar landing (the marquee mission) and converting it to a LEO docking test. This is a significant programmatic step back in ambition, even if it's engineered prudence. The Starship HLS propellant transfer demo slipping from 2025 to (apparently) 2026+ is a real schedule risk signal.

**What I expected but didn't find:** No reporting of Blue Moon Mark 2 development milestones or schedule certainty. The framing "if Starship isn't ready, Blue Moon could be the only target" suggests Blue Origin's Blue Moon is also uncertain.

**KB connections:** Directly connects to the Artemis II splashdown (April 10, 2026) as the preceding milestone. Also connects to the "Starship is the enabling vehicle" belief — Starship HLS propellant transfer demo being late raises questions about whether the 2028 first landing is achievable. Also relevant to Belief 7 (single-player SpaceX dependency) — NASA now has TWO HLS providers (Starship + Blue Moon) as a hedge.

**Extraction hints:** Two candidate claims: (1) "Artemis III's redesign to LEO docking test reflects Starship HLS propellant transfer demo delays — the critical path to first crewed lunar landing runs through SpaceX's propellant transfer demonstration." (2) "NASA's dual-HLS strategy (Starship + Blue Moon) is a hedge against single-player dependency, but Blue Moon's readiness is also uncertain."

**Context:** Jared Isaacman is NASA Administrator. The February 2026 overhaul was part of a broader program rationalization. SLS Block 1B/2 cancellations reduce future heavy-lift redundancy; if Artemis shifts more to commercial vehicles (Starship for lunar lander), the SLS dependency question resurfaces.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: Cislunar development timeline — when does crewed surface operations actually begin?
WHY ARCHIVED: Maps the critical path from Artemis II validation to first crewed lunar landing (2028); Starship HLS propellant transfer slip is a real schedule risk
EXTRACTION HINT: Focus on the propellant transfer demo as the gating item — that's what connects HLS development status to the attractor state timeline
