‘The most complicated launch campaign ever’: NASA lays out mad dash to test lunar landers

NASA offered new details Friday about a mad dash to get two lunar landers — built by competing companies Blue Origin and SpaceX — and the space agency’s own rocket and spacecraft ready for a crucial test mission next year.

“We will not delude ourselves into believing that more time, more money, and flying less will somehow make our work safer or more achievable,” NASA chief Jared Isaacman said Friday in a press conference reaffirming the agency’s commitment to launching a low-Earth orbit test mission next year before a crewed lunar landing in 2028.

Blue Origin and SpaceX each have multibillion-dollar contracts with the US space agency to develop vehicles capable of ferrying astronauts from NASA’s Orion spacecraft down to the lunar surface.

“Every vendor and partner should understand that when a schedule is broken, NASA personnel will be knocking on the door, and not to observe, not to write a paper or convene a committee, but to roll up their sleeves and solve problems,” Isaacman said.

Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

NASA reveals Artemis III crew that will take the next big step on its journey back to the moon

In February, Isaacman, then a newly appointed NASA administrator, shook up the agency’s road map for a moon landing by adding a 2027 test mission. Called Artemis III, this mission would see vehicles from both Blue Origin and SpaceX practice docking with Orion in low-Earth orbit, or just a few hundred miles above our planet — far closer to home than the moon that’s 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away.

The estimated 14-day test mission will involve the launch of three massive rockets as well as docking and undocking the crewed Orion spacecraft multiple times with experimental vehicles.

It’s “likely the most complicated launch campaign ever undertaken,” said Jeremy Parsons, manager of NASA’s Artemis Program.

Artemis III is designed to help vet which lander NASA might use for Artemis IV, which is slated to mark the first time astronauts have landed on the surface of the moon since the agency’s Apollo program concluded in 1972.

Blue Origin and SpaceX are developing vastly different vehicles. SpaceX, which was the first to cinch a lunar landing contract in 2021, intends to use its gargantuan Starship launch vehicle — which is under development but recently completed its first orbital test flight.

SpaceX/UPI/Shutterstock

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Starship is a two-part launch system that includes the Super Heavy rocket booster and the upper Starship spacecraft, a 171-foot-tall vehicle packed with six rocket engines of its own. The Starship spacecraft would serve both as the lunar lander and the upper stage of the rocket itself. The vehicle is unlike anything ever flown in the history of spaceflight.

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2, however, harkens much closer to legacy lunar lander designs. Blue Moon is expected to launch within the cargo bay of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket and, at 52 feet tall, is visually reminiscent of a scaled-up version of NASA’s Apollo-era landers. Blue Moon has not yet flown a test flight.

The company intended to launch a scaled-down, cargo version, called Blue Moon Mark 1, this year. But those plans were put on hold after a New Glenn rocket exploded in May during routine ground tests and destroyed the company’s Florida launch site.

Both Blue Origin’s and SpaceX’s vehicles have a long series of tests and technology demonstrations ahead before Artemis III or Artemis IV. Neither vehicle has ever flown with crew on board or docked with a spacecraft carrying astronauts.

In Friday’s meeting, NASA also acknowledged a series of changes it’s made to other aspects of the Artemis program, including efforts to speed up production and design changes for the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as well as greenlighting a simplified, lighter-weight version of moonwalking spacesuits designed by Houston-based company Axiom.

The simplified suits are meant to be quicker to bring to fruition for early moon landing missions, including Artemis IV, but Axiom will continue building the more advanced version for more difficult lunar excursions later in the Artemis program.

Almost across the board, NASA is “looking to simplify, remove difficult requirements,” Parsons said.

But it’s the lunar lander vehicles, Parsons added, that are currently driving NASA’s schedule.

Hardware for the Blue Moon vehicle that will fly the Artemis III mission is currently under construction.

Meanwhile, SpaceX will fly a relatively bare-bones version of Starship that will essentially be “yanked” off the company’s production line next year as the company continues to tinker with the vehicle’s design. Test flights have shown issues with the reliability of Starship’s Raptor rocket engines.

NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya told CNN that in his view, “most of what they’re seeing now is issues impacting reuse.” Basically, the current engine problems might affect SpaceX’s ability to reuse the craft — and thus see cost savings — but it doesn’t mean that Starship isn’t on track to support Artemis III, he explained.

“What we want to make sure is we can get a Starship to orbit with the amount of dwell time that’s required to perform this docking test,” Kshatriya said, referring to NASA’s need to see that Starship can maintain a stable orbit during the mission.

Under a newly released timeline for the Artemis Program, within the coming months, SpaceX will need to finish building the Starship prototype that will fly the Artemis III mission and complete several demonstrations to test the vehicle’s landing legs and airlock. Meanwhile, it will continue its Starship test flight campaign — including by expanding operations to two new launchpads in Florida and carrying out the first practice run at transferring fuel between two Starship vehicle in orbit.

Such a propellant transfer will be necessary to get the hefty Starship to the moon. Transferring super-chilled cryogenic propellants between two vehicles in Earth orbit has never been done before. SpaceX’s first demonstration is expected in early 2027.

For a moon landing, SpaceX will need to launch multiple refueling flights. Previously, experts had estimated the number could be between 10 and 40 . CEO Elon Musk said on social media this week, however, that a moon landing would require six to eight launches.

NASA officials confirmed Musk’s estimate Friday but noted a final figure likely cannot be known until after propellant transfer testing is done.

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 will also require some complicated prep work in low-Earth orbit before heading to the moon. NASA said Friday that the lander would need to dock with at least three boost stages.

Bezos-founded Blue Origin lands major NASA moon lander project

The company also has a long to-do list. Blue Origin must get its New Glenn flying again, which could happen by the end of the year, and get its overdue Blue Moon Mark 1 test flight off the ground early next year.

The Blue Moon Mark 2 lander used on Artemis III will also need to be outfitted with life support systems. The crew of four astronauts that will be onboard Orion during the mission are expected to climb aboard the Mark 2 vehicle while docked with the spacecraft.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

NASA is not expecting to attempt the same with Starship. Citing SpaceX’s past experience flying crewed Dragon vehicles, the agency said it believes it can adequately vet the company’s life support systems outside the Artemis III mission.

After Artemis III, both Blue Moon Mark 2 and Starship are expected to make uncrewed trips to the moon to practice landing.

NASA has not yet determined which of the two vehicles will be used for its Artemis IV mission after pulling its commitment to SpaceX last year and pledging to use whichever vehicle was ready first. The agency cited a desire to assure its mission timeline amid a race with China.

Artemis IV is currently slated for early 2028, with a second astronaut landing, Artemis V, coming later that year. That timeline is widely expected to shift.

China has for years been working to land its taikonauts on the lunar surface for the first time by 2030. Experts believe the nation will more than likely hit or exceed that deadline.

NASA’s intent to expedite its timeline will require building, testing and ensuring the safety of a wide range of components — which Kshatriya recognized is daunting challenge.

“It’s not that I don’t recognize that if you go fast, you can make mistakes. That’s obviously true just in life,” Kshatriya told CNN. But “you can go fast and be careful so long as the things you look at are important.”

Kshatriya added there we be “no changes” to NASA’s procedures and how its engineering tech authorities oversee mission safety.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated with additional reporting.

美国宇航局周五公布了有关紧急准备工作的最新细节，包括两款月球着陆器（分别由竞争公司蓝色起源和SpaceX制造）以及该航天机构自己的火箭和航天器，以便明年进行一项关键的测试任务。

美国宇航局局长贾里德·艾萨克曼周五在新闻发布会上重申了该机构的承诺，即在2028年载人登月之前，明年发射一次近地轨道测试任务。他表示：“我们不会自欺欺人地认为，更多的时间、更多的金钱和更少的飞行就能使我们的工作更安全或更容易实现。”

蓝色起源和SpaceX分别与美国航天局签订了数十亿美元的合同，开发能够将宇航员从NASA的猎户座飞船运送到月球表面的飞行器。

“每个供应商和合作伙伴都应该明白，一旦进度被打乱，NASA 的工作人员就会上门，他们不是来旁观的，也不是来写报告或召集委员会的，而是要卷起袖子解决问题，”艾萨克曼说。

Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

美国宇航局公布了“阿尔忒弥斯3号”任务的宇航员名单，他们将踏上重返月球之旅的下一个重要阶段。

今年2月，时任NASA局长艾萨克曼对该机构的登月路线图进行了调整，增加了一项2027年的测试任务。这项名为“阿尔忒弥斯3号”的任务将让蓝色起源公司和SpaceX公司的飞船在近地轨道（距离地球仅几百英里）上练习与猎户座飞船对接——这比距离地球238,855英里（384,400公里）的月球要近得多。

预计为期 14 天的测试任务将包括发射三枚巨型火箭，以及载人猎户座飞船与实验飞行器多次对接和分离。

美国宇航局阿尔忒弥斯计划经理杰里米·帕森斯表示，这“很可能是有史以来最复杂的发射活动”。

Artemis III 旨在帮助 NASA 确定 Artemis IV 可能使用的着陆器，Artemis IV 预计将标志着自 1972 年 NASA 阿波罗计划结束以来，宇航员首次登陆月球表面。

蓝色起源和SpaceX正在研发截然不同的运载工具。SpaceX率先在2021年拿下登月合同，计划使用其巨型星舰运载火箭——该火箭目前仍在研发中，但最近已完成首次轨道试飞。

SpaceX/UPI/Shutterstock

SpaceX的巨型火箭即将取得颠覆性的成功，但这同时也引发了一场“危机”。

星舰是一个由两部分组成的发射系统，包括超重型火箭助推器和上级星舰飞船。星舰飞船高171英尺（约52米），自身配备六台火箭发动机。星舰飞船既是月球着陆器，也是火箭的上级。这种飞行器与航天史上任何飞行器都截然不同。

然而，蓝色起源公司的“蓝月二号”（Blue Moon Mark 2）则更接近于传统的月球着陆器设计。“蓝月二号”预计将由蓝色起源公司的“新格伦”（New Glenn）火箭搭载发射，其52英尺（约15.8米）的高度，在外观上让人联想到美国宇航局阿波罗时代着陆器的放大版。“蓝月二号”尚未进行过试飞。

该公司原计划今年发射一款名为“蓝月Mark 1”的小型货运火箭。但由于5月份一枚“新格伦”火箭在例行地面测试中爆炸，摧毁了该公司位于佛罗里达州的发射场，这些计划被迫搁置。

在阿尔忒弥斯3号或阿尔忒弥斯4号任务之前，蓝色起源和SpaceX的飞行器都需要进行一系列漫长的测试和技术演示。这两家公司的飞行器都从未载人飞行过，也从未与载有宇航员的飞船对接过。

在周五的会议上，NASA 还承认对阿尔忒弥斯计划的其他方面进行了一系列改变，包括加快该机构太空发射系统火箭和猎户座飞船的生产和设计变更，以及批准由休斯顿 Axiom 公司设计的简化版、更轻便的登月宇航服。

简化的宇航服旨在更快地投入使用，用于早期的登月任务，包括阿尔忒弥斯四号任务，但 Axiom 公司将继续建造更先进的版本，用于阿尔忒弥斯计划后期更困难的登月任务。

帕森斯说，NASA几乎在所有方面都在“寻求简化流程，取消繁琐的要求”。

帕森斯补充说，目前真正推动 NASA 进度的是月球着陆器。

执行阿尔忒弥斯三号任务的“蓝月”号飞行器的硬件目前正在建造中。

与此同时，SpaceX将试飞一个相对简化的星舰版本，该版本明年将基本从公司生产线上“撤下”，因为公司仍在对星舰设计进行调整。试飞结果显示，星舰的猛禽火箭发动机存在可靠性问题。

美国宇航局副局长阿米特·克沙特里亚告诉CNN，在他看来，“他们现在遇到的问题大多影响到飞船的重复使用。” 他解释说，基本上，目前的发动机问题可能会影响SpaceX重复使用飞船的能力——从而影响成本节约——但这并不意味着星舰无法按计划支持阿尔忒弥斯3号任务。

“我们想要确保的是，星舰能够进入轨道，并保持执行此次对接测试所需的停留时间，”克沙特里亚说道，他指的是美国宇航局需要看到星舰在任务期间能够保持稳定的轨道。

根据最新公布的阿尔忒弥斯计划时间表，SpaceX将在未来几个月内完成星舰原型机的建造，该原型机将执行阿尔忒弥斯3号任务，并完成多项演示测试，以检验飞船的着陆腿和气闸。与此同时，SpaceX还将继续推进星舰的试飞计划，包括将发射作业扩展到佛罗里达州的两个新发射台，以及首次在轨道上进行两架星舰之间的燃料转移演练。

要将庞大的星舰送上月球，这种推进剂转移是必不可少的。在地球轨道上的两艘航天器之间转移超低温推进剂，此前从未有过先例。SpaceX 的首次演示预计将于 2027 年初进行。

为了实现登月目标，SpaceX需要进行多次燃料补给飞行。此前，专家估计所需次数可能在10到40次之间。然而，首席执行官埃隆·马斯克本周在社交媒体上表示，登月只需要6到8次发射。

美国宇航局官员周五证实了马斯克的估计，但指出最终数字可能要等到推进剂转移测试完成后才能知道。

蓝色起源公司的“蓝月二号”着陆器在前往月球之前，还需要在近地轨道上进行一些复杂的准备工作。美国宇航局周五表示，着陆器需要与至少三个助推级对接。

贝佐斯创立的蓝色起源公司拿下NASA重大月球着陆器项目

该公司还有一长串待办事项。蓝色起源必须让其“新格伦”火箭重新飞行，这有望在年底前实现；此外，它还必须安排其期待已久的“蓝月”Mark 1火箭于明年初进行试飞。

阿尔忒弥斯3号任务中使用的“蓝月”Mark 2着陆器也需要配备生命维持系统。任务期间，四名宇航员将搭乘猎户座飞船，并在飞船与Mark 2着陆器对接后登上该着陆器。

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

NASA并不打算对星舰进行同样的测试。NASA表示，鉴于SpaceX过去驾驶载人龙飞船的经验，他们相信能够在阿尔忒弥斯3号任务之外充分检验该公司的生命维持系统。

在阿尔忒弥斯三号任务之后，蓝月二号和星舰都计划进行无人登月飞行，以练习着陆。

在去年取消了对SpaceX的订单，并承诺使用率先准备就绪的航天器后，NASA尚未决定其阿尔忒弥斯4号任务将使用哪一款航天器。该机构表示，此举是为了在与中国的竞赛中确保任务按时完成。

“阿尔忒弥斯4号”目前计划于2028年初进行，同年晚些时候还将进行第二次载人登月任务——“阿尔忒弥斯5号”。但普遍认为这一时间表将会调整。

多年来，中国一直致力于在2030年前首次实现航天员登月。专家认为，中国极有可能按时甚至提前完成这一目标。

NASA 加快进度的意图将需要建造、测试和确保各种组件的安全——克沙特里亚认识到这是一个艰巨的挑战。

“我并非不承认，速度快就容易犯错。这在生活中当然是常态，”克沙特里亚告诉CNN。“但是，只要你关注的是重要的事情，你就可以既快速又谨慎。”

克沙特里亚补充说，NASA 的程序以及其工程技术权威机构监督任务安全的方式“不会有任何改变”。

编者按：本文已更新，添加了更多报道内容。