SpaceX, Blue Origin Compete For 'Artemis III' Mission

Source: Slashdot

Artemis III Mission Overview

After Artemis II’s astronauts returned to Earth, NASA has Artemis III in its sights, reports the Associated Press:

• In a mission recently added to the docket for next year, Artemis III’s yet‑to‑be‑named astronauts will practice docking their Orion capsule with a lunar lander—or two—in orbit around Earth.
• Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are racing to have their company’s lander ready first.
• Musk’s Starship and Bezos’ Blue Moon are vying for the all‑important Artemis IV moon landing in 2028.

Two astronauts will aim for the south polar region, the preferred location for NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s envisioned $20 billion to $30 billion moon base. Vast amounts of ice are almost certainly hidden in permanently shadowed craters there — ice that could provide water and rocket fuel.

The docking mechanism for Artemis III’s close‑to‑home trial run is already at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The latest model Starship is close to launching on a test flight from South Texas, and a scaled‑down version of Blue Moon will attempt a lunar landing later this year.