2 November 2026Business

NASA to commit SLS for Artemis III only once Blue Origin lander is in orbit

Isaacman said Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander must reach orbit first, ahead of the SLS and Starship launches.

Artist's concept of Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2 lander with Orion spacecraft. — Artist’s concept depicts Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 human landing system test article in Earth orbit with NASA’s Orion spacecraft during rendezvous and docking operations. NASA/Blue Origin

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said NASA will commit the Space Launch System (SLS) to Artemis III only if Blue Origin's lander is already in orbit. He made the comments in an interview with NSF.

Artemis III is structured around an initial New Glenn launch carrying Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander, which is expected to be able to loiter in orbit for roughly 30 days. The SLS/Orion crew launch and a Starship launch would follow. The mission involves three launches, three vehicles and three providers.

"We're not going to launch without Blue Origin in it," Isaacman said. "That's why they're going to launch first. They need to be up there, do some checkouts, and then we commit SLS."

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