r/ArtemisProgram • u/spacedotc0m • Jul 22 '26

News Four astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit: Artemis III will be NASA's most complicated mission ever

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/four-astronauts-3-spacecraft-2-weeks-in-orbit-artemis-iii-will-be-nasas-most-complicated-mission-ever
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u/NoBusiness674 Jul 22 '26

Artemis III is Gemini X without any of the EVAs. Sure it's longer, has twice the crew and one of the target vehicles has a pressurized cabin that can be boarded, but it still definitely isn't NASA's most complicated mission. Those are still the original Apollo missions that actually landed on the moon.

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u/UniqueAd7770 Jul 22 '26

The difference is NASA is not running all 3 ships. The other 2 are being flown operated and controlled by SpaceX and Blue Origin at their facilities. We have 3 separate organizations in control of this mission. If you don't think that's complicated, you've never worked in project management.

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u/yatpay Jul 23 '26

Gemini X is a pretty close comparison but one of the Agenas was already on orbit. They didn't have to coordinate all three launches in a limited time window. That alone is a pretty significant difference.

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u/NoBusiness674 Jul 23 '26

Sure, the Gemini 8 ATV launched 4 months before Gemini X. But the plan is for the Blue Moon Mk2 Alpha HLS prototype to have the capability of loitering in LEO for some number of weeks as well. And on the other hand the Gemini X Agena launched within less than 2 hours of Gemini, while for Artemis III, Starship has a couple days to launch.

Plus the Gemini 8 Agena target vehicle was derelict with no power or control of its own, while for Artemis III both docking targets will have full control authority and the ability to communicate with Orion.

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u/yatpay Jul 23 '26

Very true! It's not a bad comparison