After the triumph of Artemis II, now comes the hard part

The afterglow of Artemis II’s triumph has barely faded, and NASA is already setting about placing the first footprints on the moon in over 50 years. However, all the things that the space agency and its partners have to do makes sending four human beings around the moon seem like a weekend excursion by comparison.

Artemis III was originally supposed to be the first human moon landing since Apollo 17 over 50 years ago. But NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wisely decided that there needed to be an intermediate step between Artemis II, the first crewed deep space mission of the 21st century, and the next moon landing, which will now be designated as Artemis IV.

Artemis III will now take place in low Earth orbit. The plan is to launch an Orion spacecraft with four astronauts. Instead of heading to the moon, it is to dock with either a SpaceX Starship, a Blue Origin Blue Moon or both of the planned Human Landing Systems intended to take astronauts to the lunar surface.

Originally, Artemis III was planned for mid-2027. As many as two crewed lunar landings, designated as Artemis IV and Artemis V, were to take place in 2028. But the mission may have already slipped to late 2027. The issue seems to be whether the Starship and the Blue Moon will be available in time. Isaacman has denied that the schedule is slipping or that the Human Landing Systems will not be ready.

The second thing that NASA intends to do is to ramp up........

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