Short answers, pulled from the story.
Artemis III is the second crewed mission in NASA's Artemis lunar exploration program, targeted to launch in late 2027. The crew will fly aboard the Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft.
Under the plan confirmed on the 27th of February 2026, Artemis III is not planned to land on the Moon. Instead, astronauts will test docking between Orion and one or both commercial lunar landers in Earth orbit, while Artemis IV is tentatively set to attempt the program's first crewed landing in 2028.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed the revised Artemis III plan on the 27th of February 2026. He also testified before the House Appropriations Committee on the 27th of April 2026, confirming the late 2027 launch target.
Artemis III is planned to test SpaceX's Starship HLS and a Blue Origin lander reportedly based on Blue Moon Mark 1. Both landers must complete NASA's human-rating certification process before any crewed operations.
Artemis III has slipped due to Orion heat shield concerns, delays developing the Starship HLS and Blue Moon landers, and spacesuit readiness problems identified in an August 2021 audit. Its target has moved from late 2024 through 2025, 2026-2028, and now late 2027.
As of May 2026, Artemis III is planned to fly into a 463 kilometer low Earth orbit. NASA had considered both low Earth orbit and high Earth orbit profiles before settling on this plan.