NASA's next Artemis mission pits SpaceX against Blue Origin in a race to the moon

"Artemis III, now scheduled for 2027, pits SpaceX and Blue Origin head-to-head as they vie to be first to flight-test their in-development crewed lunar landers."

"The plan shifts an actual crewed moon landing to the Artemis IV mission in 2028, according to NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, helping to shore up the space agency's ambitious scheduling."

"Slow and steady simply won't win the 21st-century moon race with China, Isaacman indicated when he unveiled Artemis III during the space agency's March event."

The Artemis II mission's recent splashdown marks a significant moment in the U.S.-China space race. Artemis III, set for 2027, will see SpaceX and Blue Origin compete to flight-test their lunar landers. The mission involves launching a crewed Orion capsule to dock with SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2. The crewed moon landing is postponed to Artemis IV in 2028. NASA aims for an ambitious $30-billion moon base by 2036, drawing parallels to the Apollo program's test flights.

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