By mid-2025, NASAs Artemis program has made substantial progress toward returning humans to the
lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. With Artemis I (an uncrewed orbital test flight)
successfully completed in late 2022, and Artemis II (a crewed flyby) scheduled for late 2024, Artemis
IIIaimed at landing astronauts near the Moons South Polehas become the centerpiece of NASAs near-
term crewed spaceflight agenda. This document provides a comprehensive overview of the technical
milestones, international partnerships, contractual developments, and scientific objectives that define
Artemis III and the broader Artemis program as of June 2025.
First, it is essential to recap the major achievements of Artemis I and Artemis II. Artemis I launched on
November 16, 2022, sending the Orion spacecraft on a 25-day test flight around the Moon and back to
Earth. The mission validated the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets core stage and solid rocket boosters,
as well as Orions heat shield during lunar re-entry. All primary and secondary objectives were met,
including deployment of CubeSats for scientific and technology demonstration experiments. Artemis II,
slated for launch in November 2024, will be the first crewed Orion missiona fourperson crew will
perform a free-return trajectory around the Moon to test life support, avionics, and communications in a
deep space environment. As of May 2025, Orions lifesupport systems, including the regenerative air
revitalization and water recovery loops, have completed ground tests simulating a 21-day mission,
exceeding NASAs reliability thresholds. The Artemis II crew, consisting of four NASA astronauts (including
two seasoned Moonwalkers from Apollo-era analogs), has begun integrated mission simulations at the
Johnson Space Center, practicing in-flight anomalies, lunar flyby navigation, and extravehicular activities
(EVAs) in neutral buoyancy training.
Moving on to Artemis III, the key landing mission: NASA has adopted a dualcomponent architecture
consisting of the SLS rocket (Block 1B configuration), the Orion crew capsule, and a commercially
procured Human Landing System (HLS). Blue Origins Blue Moon lander, SpaceXs Starship HLS variant,
and Dynetics ALPACA concept competed for the HLS contract. In April 2024, NASA selected SpaceXs
Starship HLS as the sole provider, citing its highest technical readiness level, lower cost per mission, and
ability to reuse the ascent stage. The chosen configuration calls for the Starship HLS to launch atop a
SpaceX Super Heavy booster from Starbase, Texas, bringing a descent element, ascent element, and
crew transfer arm to low-Earth orbit (LEO) separately. Orion will rendezvous with the HLS stack in LEO,
transfer crew and cargo, and then the HLS will perform a trans-lunar injection burn toward a near-
rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon.
As of June 2025, SpaceX has completed the structural test article of Starship HLS, running spin prime
qualification tests on the Raptor vacuum engines optimized for lunar conditions. In February 2025, a
fullscale staticfire test of the Starship HLS booster stack achieved 70 percent of nominal thrust, with all
engines operating simultaneously for 60 seconds. This test marked the first time a Starship variant
designed specifically for lunar landing had demonstrated integrated engine performance in conditions
simulating a vacuum-mode transition. SpaceX plans the first orbitalcapacity wet dress rehearsal for HLS
in August 2025 at Starbase, following final qualification of heat-shield tiles for atmospheric entry
(buffered for potential Earth re-entry resilience, in case of abort). NASA engineers are currently fine-
tuning the flight-control software to adapt Starship HLSs guidance to a powered descent profile on the
rugged lunar South Pole terrain, where shadowed regions and steep crater walls present unique
navigational challenges.
On the Orion side, NASA awarded a modification to Lockheed Martins Orion production contract in
January 2025 to add enhanced radiation shielding and updated docking adapters compatible with the
international Lunar Gateway station. Orion III, which will carry the crew for Artemis III, has received the
new Orion Lunar Terrain Camera (LTC) suitea downwardlooking stereo camera system designed to
support autonomous hazard detection during HLS descent. The LTC sensors have undergone vibration,
thermal vacuum, and radiation testing at NASAs Plum Brook Station, with zero failures to date.
Additional upgrades include improved laserretroreflector arrays on Orions exterior to facilitate ground-
based ranging and precision navigation during lunar approach.
International partnerships play a crucial role in Artemis III and subsequent missions. The Lunar Gatewaya
small space station in a near-rectilinear halo orbitwill serve as an orbital staging point for crew and cargo,
as well as a platform for scientific investigation. As of May 2025, the USCanadian Canadian Lunar Rover
payload is scheduled to launch to the Gateway aboard a Commercial Resupply Services 3 (CRS-3) mission
in October 2025. This rover, built by MDA under a NASA contract, will explore Shackleton Craters rim to
analyze water ice deposits. The European Space Agency (ESA) has committed to providing the
International Habitation Module (I-Hab) for the Gateway, slated for delivery in mid-2026 via NASAs SLS
EM-3 mission. This module includes life-support systems funded by ESA, along with a small European-
built laboratory for lunar environment studies.
In addition, Japans JAXA has confirmed a contribution of logistics resupply elements and a specialized
Lunar Environment Package that will fly to the Gateway in late 2026. JAXAs module contains instruments
to measure lunar dust charging and radiation flux near the Gateway, data critical for long-duration
human presence. Meanwhile, Russias space agency, Roscosmos, has negotiated a Phase B agreement to
provide a communications relay satellite positioned at EarthMoon L2 (the so-called L2DRS), scheduled
for launch in 2027. Once operational, L2DRS will ensure near-constant communications between the
southern polar landing site and mission control on Earth.
From a scientific perspective, Artemis III aims to land at the rim of Shackleton Crater near the Moons
South Polea region of high interest due to permanently shadowed areas that may harbor water ice. The
missions scientific objectives include: 1) characterizing the regoliths volatile content to understand the
distribution and purity of water ice; 2) collecting samples from both illuminated and shadowed regions to
study the geology and potential resources; 3) deploying seismometers to detect moonquakes and
differentiate between tectonic and impact events; and 4) assessing the radiation environment near the
surface to inform long-term habitat planning. NASAs Science Mission Directorate has finalized the suite
of instruments that the astronauts will carry in their backpackscomprising a drill-based subsurface
sampler, a miniaturized mass spectrometer to detect volatiles in real time, and a panoramic imaging
system with multispectral filters for mineralogical mapping.
Training for the Artemis III crew is well underway. The two NASA-selected astronauts for the lunar
surface mission began their preparation in January 2025 at the Johnson Space Centers Lunar Terrain
Navigation Lab (LTNL), which simulates the polar light conditions using a combination of high-fidelity
terrain models and programmable lighting that can mimic low-sun-angle shadows. They have also been
conducting analog field tests in Antarcticas McMurdo Dry Valleyschosen for its cold, rocky terrain that
somewhat resembles lunar polar features. In parallel, surgeon-astronauts on the team are collaborating
with the NASA Human Research Program to study the effects of microgravity and radiation on crew
health. The astronauts have completed over 200 hours of EVA practice in the Neutral Buoyancy
Laboratory, focusing on deploying seismometer arrays and an autonomous rover without tipping
hazards.
Commercial cargo contractors are also ramping up. Northrop Grummans Cygnus spacecraft has been
modified to serve as a Gateway Resupply Module (GRM), ferrying food, spare parts, and scientific
equipment to the Lunar Gateway starting in early 2027. These GRMs will dock to the Gateways logistics
port and remain attached for up to six months before being jettisoned. In December 2024, Northrop
Grumman successfully tested the Cygnus-based Autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Operations
(ARPO) system in low Earth orbit, demonstrating the ability to perform precision docking maneuversa
capability essential for future cargo missions to Gateway and possibly for small robotic lunar landers.
On the launch side, the Artemis III mission timeline has experienced a slight slip due to supply-chain
issues with the new solid-rocket booster segments for SLS Block 1B. Originally targeted for late 2025, the
launch window has moved to Q2 2026. NASA attributed the delay to late deliveries of high-temperature
insulation materials from suppliers in Germany, which encountered qualitycontrol setbacks. To mitigate
schedule risk, NASA has negotiated a supplemental procurement contract with Northrop Grumman to
supply redundant insulation layers sourced domestically. Despite the slip, the Agency expects to
maintain a robust cadence of unmanned technology demonstrations, including a series of small lunar
landers to test precision guidance in 2025.
Public outreach and education remain a cornerstone of Artemis. In March 2025, NASA launched the
Artemis Classroom initiative, partnering with over 1 000 schools worldwide to broadcast live STEM
lessons from low Earth orbit astronauts and conduct interactive sessions on lunar geology using high-
resolution digital terrain models. Additionally, the agency has open-sourced significant portions of its
lunar landing simulation software, inviting universities to develop custom analogs and extend research in
navigation algorithm robustness. The NASA Artemis Student Challenge, launched in January 2025, has
already received over 500 proposals from high-school teams exploring low-cost lunar habitat prototypes.
The winning team from a rural school in Georgia proposed a deployable inflatable habitat made from
regolith-based bricks, which they demonstrated using 3D printing and simulated lunar soil simulant in a
vacuum chamber.
In summary, by June 2025, the Artemis program stands at a pivotal juncture: Artemis II is about to
validate Orions human-rating systems in deep space, while Artemis IIIs major hardware elementsthe SLS
Block 1B, Orion III, and the Starship HLSare all advancing through qualification and integration.
International partners are contributing critical Gateway elements, scientific instruments, and
communication infrastructure. Despite a modest schedule slip pushing the crewed lunar landing into
mid-2026, the program has preserved its technical rigor and scientific objectives. If all goes according to
plan, Artemis III will not only mark the return of humans to the lunar surfacein the first mission to the
Moons South Pole regionbut also set the stage for sustainable lunar exploration, in-situ resource
utilization, and ultimately, a stepping stone to Mars.
