NASA updates lander plans for Moon landings, finally solves long-festering Orion issue

"We have the mandate, we have the resources, and the support from our stakeholders."

The short version

• Although much of the information behind these plans has been previously reported at Ars Technica and elsewhere, this marked the first time NASA has laid them out in detail and acknowledged some substantial changes in the architecture.
• Most notably, for SpaceX’s Starship vehicle, the revised plan calls for the Orion spacecraft to dock with the Starship lunar lander in high-Earth orbit before transiting to the Moon.
• And for Blue Origin, the mission architecture includes four launches of the New Glenn rocket, but no spacecraft-to-spacecraft refuelings.

What happened

Additionally, the Blue Origin plans allows for the possibility of its Blue Moon lander rendezvousing with Orion in low-Lunar orbit. During the presentation on Friday, NASA officials said they continue to anticipate launching the Artemis III mission—a demonstration involving docking with both Blue Moon and Starship near Earth—by “summer” 2027.

Why it matters

And they are still tracking toward a 2028 launch of Artemis IV, which would involve an actual landing on the lunar surface.

Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.