After the accomplishments of the Artemis II human spaceflight, NASA is shifting attention to subsequent phases in its strategy for returning humans to the lunar surface. The organization aims for an astronaut touchdown in 2028 and has selected Blue Origin and SpaceX to develop the spacecraft for surface operations, despite neither firm having achieved a lunar landing to date. Recently, NASA announced receipt of a complete-scale model of the passenger compartment from Blue Origin's Mark 2 vehicle to initiate preparation activities.
The 15-foot-high replica, located at NASA's Johnson Space Center, will enable collaboration between the agency and Blue Origin on various interactive evaluations involving personnel, such as operational simulations, ground control interactions, suit validations, and rehearsals for mock lunar excursions, according to NASA. This representation covers solely the lower-section crew module; the fully assembled vehicle, incorporating all components, will reach 52 feet in height for the actual lunar journey. However, as past efforts demonstrate, achieving a stable lunar descent poses significant challenges, leaving both Blue Origin and SpaceX with substantial development ahead to align with NASA's schedule.
Blue Origin's unmanned variant, known as Endurance or MK1, is currently in trials within NASA's environmental simulation facility prior to its debut flight later this year, which involves transporting research equipment to the moon. In the upcoming Artemis III phase, scheduled for 2027, the mission's astronauts will travel aboard the Orion capsule to near-Earth orbit for connectivity trials with the human-rated landers from Blue Origin or SpaceX, depending on availability.