NASA Details 2028 Moon Landing Plan With Two Lunar Landers and PROMISE Rover

NASA has revealed details of its plan to return astronauts to the Moon in 2028, including an orbital test in 2027 and a new lunar rover.

Artemis Missions and Lunar Landers

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other agency leaders outlined the next steps for the Artemis program during an October 23 briefing. The revised approach centers on two major missions: Artemis III, a test flight scheduled for 2027, and Artemis IV, which is intended to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028.

"This is a very energized NASA, and these updates are only a small part of that story. We are bringing extreme focus to the mission to ensure delivery of world-changing outcomes as quickly, safely, affordably, and successfully as possible," said Isaacman.

Artemis III will bring together NASA's Orion spacecraft and experimental lunar landers developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. Four astronauts will travel aboard Orion, launching on NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. During the planned 14-day mission, the crew will practice rendezvous and docking procedures with both companies' lander test vehicles.

Blue Origin will first launch a test version of its Blue Moon lander into Earth orbit. NASA will then send Orion and its four astronauts into space aboard the SLS rocket, where Orion will rendezvous and dock with the Blue Moon vehicle. Next, SpaceX will launch a test version of its Version 3 Starship lunar lander. Orion will separate from Blue Moon and perform another docking maneuver, this time with Starship.

For Artemis IV in 2028, NASA intends to launch astronauts aboard Orion using the SLS rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once in space, the crew will rely on a lunar landing system developed by either SpaceX or Blue Origin to reach the Moon's surface.

SpaceX plans to use its Starship spacecraft, which will take on additional propellant while orbiting Earth. After refueling, Starship will meet Orion and carry the spacecraft toward the Moon. Blue Origin is developing a different approach using its Blue Moon Mark 2 lander. Its plan calls for additional propulsion stages in Earth orbit to send the lander toward the Moon. The lander will then meet Orion in a relatively low lunar orbit before carrying astronauts down to the surface.

PROMISE Rover and Lunar Infrastructure

NASA plans to fly a rover, PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping and In-Situ Exploration), which is modeled after the Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity. PROMISE will fly to the moon and land using a Blue Origin lander in late 2028 for an 18-month primary mission.

"As the United States prepares to send humans back to the moon and onward to Mars, NASA Science is very busy getting ready to provide the ultimate interplanetary survival guide to help them on their way," said Nicky Fox, NASA's associate administrator for science.

The PROMISE mission will be led by project scientist James Keane, a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The rover will have a drill and other instruments designed to study the lunar regolith and radiation, as well as observing the moon's surface in ways similar to the Mars rovers.

"This mission will kind of serve as a scout for the Moon Base operations, whilst also prospecting for resources near the lunar south pole," Fox said.

Spacesuits and Rocket Options

NASA is working with Axiom Space on a second, lighter design known as the "Sortie suit." The new suit is intended specifically for the first Moon surface excursions and weighs approximately half as much as Axiom's larger primary spacesuit.

NASA is also considering two possible upper stages for the SLS rocket used on Artemis IV. One option is the interim cryogenic propulsion stage already used by SLS. The other is an extended version of United Launch Alliance's Centaur V upper stage, which would hold additional propellant.

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Sources

• sciencedaily.com: NASA reveals bold new plan to return astronauts to the Moon in 2028 | ScienceDaily
• scientificamerican.com: NASA reveals new lunar rover, PROMISE, to launch to moon in 2028 | Scientific American

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