NASA details new Artemis lunar lander strategies by SpaceX and Blue Origin

NASA announced revised approaches for the Artemis lunar lander program at a June 9 event in Houston. The agency revealed that the upcoming Artemis 3 test flight will see an Orion spacecraft dock in low‑Earth orbit with prototypes of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 and SpaceX’s Starship lunar landers. One of these landers is slated for Artemis 4, the first crewed Moon landing attempt planned for 2028.

SpaceX’s plan uses Starship as both the launch vehicle and the lunar lander, docking with Orion in Earth orbit before performing a translunar injection. This configuration shortens the flight path, cuts propellant needs, reduces loiter requirements and allows the crew to abort from the lunar surface much earlier, enhancing safety. Blue Origin, meanwhile, is shifting to a modular design that replaces its previous orbital “transporter” with Mark‑1‑derived transfer stages, removing major technical risks and simplifying the system.

Both companies are accelerating development under NASA’s contracts—SpaceX’s $2.89 billion Human Landing System award and Blue Origin’s separate agreement—aiming to support a sustainable human presence on the Moon.