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Nasa’s ambitious plan to return astronauts to the Moon in 2028 now heavily depends on two privately developed lunar landers – SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander. While both spacecraft are making progress, each still faces significant technical and testing milestones before they can safely carry astronauts to the lunar surface.
The renewed focus on lunar landers comes shortly after the successful completion of the Artemis 2 mission, which sent astronauts around the Moon and back to Earth. Nasa is now preparing for the next stage of the Artemis program, aimed at landing humans on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era.
Under Nasa’s revised roadmap, Artemis 3 is now expected to conduct a crewed Earth-orbit rendezvous and docking test in late 2027 instead of attempting a direct lunar landing. A full Moon landing is currently targeted for Artemis 4 in late 2028.
The revised approach means Nasa’s commercial partners have limited time to prepare their spacecraft for critical demonstrations.
SpaceX’s Starship HLS faces major orbital challenges
SpaceX was first selected by Nasa in 2021 to develop a lunar version of its massive Starship vehicle, known as the Human Landing System (HLS). The spacecraft is designed to transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back.
The Starship HLS is based on SpaceX’s fully reusable Starship rocket system, which includes the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage. According to SpaceX, dozens of technical milestones linked to lunar operations have already been completed, including work on life support systems, lunar landing engines, airlocks, and astronaut elevators.
However, several of the biggest challenges still lie ahead.
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One of the most important tasks is demonstrating orbital refueling, a process in which multiple Starship tanker launches would transfer fuel to the lunar lander while in Earth orbit. Nasa’s lunar mission architecture relies heavily on this capability because Starship HLS requires enormous amounts of propellant to travel to and from the Moon.
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SpaceX must also prove that Starship can safely operate in orbit for long durations while supporting astronauts during lunar missions.
The company has already carried out multiple Starship test flights, including booster recoveries and engine relight demonstrations. Its upcoming Version 3 Starship flight is expected to play a critical role in advancing the program toward operational lunar missions.
Blue Origin takes a slower step-by-step approach
Blue Origin is developing the Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar lander, which Nasa selected in 2023 for future Artemis missions. Unlike SpaceX’s aggressive testing approach, Blue Origin is taking a more gradual development path.
The company first plans to demonstrate its smaller uncrewed Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander before moving toward astronaut missions.
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Recently, the Blue Moon Mark 1 completed thermal vacuum chamber testing at Nasa facilities in Houston. The spacecraft, also known as Endurance, is expected to attempt a lunar cargo mission later this year as part of preparations for future crewed missions.
The cargo lander is designed to demonstrate technologies such as autonomous navigation, precision landing, and cryogenic propulsion. It will also carry Nasa scientific payloads to the lunar south pole region.
However, Blue Origin also faces challenges. The company’s powerful New Glenn rocket, which is expected to launch Blue Moon missions, recently experienced a launch anomaly that temporarily affected development timelines.
Also Read | Why Nasa shut down a key Voyager 1 instrument after 49 years
Like SpaceX, Blue Origin must still complete testing of astronaut life-support systems and prove its lander can safely support crewed lunar operations.
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Nasa may choose whichever lander is ready first
Nasa has made it clear that mission readiness will determine which company gets the first opportunity to land astronauts during the Artemis program.
Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman recently stated that both SpaceX and Blue Origin have assured the agency they are working toward being ready for the planned 2027 orbital docking demonstrations.
The agency’s strategy appears increasingly flexible, meaning whichever company successfully completes testing first could become Nasa’s primary lunar landing partner for Artemis 4.
The coming year is, therefore, expected to be crucial for both programs, as Starship and Blue Moon move from development and ground testing toward the complex realities of crewed lunar missions.
