NASA announced Wednesday that it will fly the Artemis III mission in low-Earth orbit and that it continues to target 2027 for this stepping-stone flight that will help land humans on the Moon.
The space agency chose the orbit close to Earth—as opposed to a higher orbit—because it would preserve the final remaining Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage for launching the Artemis IV landing mission later this decade. Instead, NASA will use a "spacer" to simulate the mass and overall dimensions of an upper stage but without propulsive capabilities.
The additional information released this week follows a decision made by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman three months ago to shuffle the agency's Artemis plans in order to accelerate a lunar landing.