NASA and Blue Origin announced on Friday (24) the formalization of an agreement that will allow for hot fire testing of the second stage of the New Glenn rocket. These tests will take place on test stand B-2, located at the Stennis Space Center, which belongs to the U.S. space agency, near Bay St. Louis, in Mississippi state, USA.
This understanding was established through an addendum to a reimbursable Space Act Agreement, which was signed earlier this month. According to NASA, this collaboration reinforces the agency's commitment to cooperating with commercial partners to realize the future stages of the Artemis program, which are planned for 2027 and subsequent years.
The announcement generated celebration among political representatives from Mississippi, who emphasized the strategic relevance of the Stennis Space Center to the United States aerospace industry. Senator Roger Wicker stated that Stennis remains a vital center for the commercial space industry, warmly welcoming Blue Origin's return to the coast and its historic testing facilities.
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith highlighted the center's contribution to the Artemis program and advocated for the partnership to be established permanently. She expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of Blue Origin implementing a rigorous testing program in Mississippi for future American crewed missions to the Moon and beyond, hoping that the use of test stand B-2 becomes a long-term arrangement.
Meanwhile, Representative Mike Ezell stated that the pact benefits both space exploration and the local economy. He noted that Mississippi maintains a crucial role in the U.S. space program, and this agreement represents a major achievement for the Stennis Space Center, as the capabilities of test stand B-2 will aid in advancing the next generation of rocket propulsion, fostering specialized jobs and strengthening the United States' global position in space exploration.
The tests of the New Glenn's second stage are scheduled to begin during the autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. They are part of NASA's efforts to achieve the national goal of returning American astronauts to the lunar surface and establishing a lunar base near the lunar South Pole. These objectives aim to consolidate U.S. leadership in space exploration, drive scientific discoveries, stimulate innovation in conjunction with the industrial sector, and prepare for future crewed missions to Mars.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stressed that cooperation with private companies is fundamental to accelerating this process. He argued that winning the new space race requires progressing faster and working alongside a robust commercial industry. Supporting Blue Origin at NASA's Stennis Space Center places world-class infrastructure at the service of advancing the capabilities needed to send astronauts to the Moon, maintain a sustained lunar presence, and prepare for Mars, thereby strengthening the U.S. industrial base.
NASA communicated that following the success of the Artemis 2 flight in April, the Artemis 3 campaign will include a multi-launch operation. This mission will use four astronauts to test the rendezvous and docking functionalities of the Orion capsule with the commercial human landing systems developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX in low Earth orbit. In this scenario, the New Glenn rocket will be employed to launch missions destined for lunar landing.
Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, stated that the partnership strengthens the company's plans for lunar exploration. He expressed pride in forming the alliance with NASA and reinforcing the mutual commitment to bringing America back to the Moon, in addition to its greater mission of paving a path to space for the benefit of Earth. Limp added that Stennis helped Americans reach the Moon, and through this partnership, it will help bring them back.
Additionally, the agency mentioned that in May, it announced the first three missions of the Lunar Gateway to begin continuous operations on the satellite's surface. One of these missions involves a contract with Blue Origin to launch a robotic mission this autumn. The Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander will carry NASA supplies to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge region at the lunar South Pole, with the aim of demonstrating technologies that minimize risks for the crewed landings planned for Artemis 4 and Artemis 5 in 2028.
As part of the agreement, NASA will assume responsibility for providing engineers, equipment, and construction services. This will be done to design, manufacture, and install the necessary components to adapt test stand B-2 for the New Glenn's second stage tests. This upper stage of the rocket was named after astronaut John Glenn, the first American to reach Earth orbit, and it is equipped with two BE-3 engines, which use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants. Each engine has the capacity to generate 90 tons of thrust in a vacuum.
In addition to physical infrastructure, the agency will provide an exclusive workspace for Blue Origin teams and share its accumulated knowledge and lessons learned from previous propulsion testing campaigns conducted at Stennis.
Test stand B-2 has a historical trajectory linked to U.S. lunar exploration. Built by NASA in the 1960s, this structure was used to test stages of the Saturn V rocket, which was responsible for transporting astronauts to the Moon during the Apollo program. More recently, the facility hosted the Green Run test campaign of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage, conducted before the inaugural launch of the Artemis 1 mission.
NASA is preparing for Artemis III, one of the most intricate space operations in its history, scheduled for 2027. This mission aims to transport four astronauts into Earth orbit, allowing for the testing of integration between three different spacecraft before the next steps toward the lunar surface.
The flight will be executed from the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, located in Florida. The operation will involve the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion capsule, and the commercial modules Starship, provided by SpaceX, and Blue Moon, from Blue Origin.
The central focus of Artemis III is to validate the procedures for rendezvous, docking, and joint operation among these distinct space systems. This process establishes the necessary foundation for the future crewed landing attempt on the Moon, which is scheduled for Artemis IV.
Artemis III marks a substantial change in the methodology for conducting deep space crewed missions. Unlike the Apollo flights, which had a more direct structure, this new program relies on a coordinated sequence of vehicles developed by various entities.
Initially, Blue Moon is expected to reach low Earth orbit using Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. The module will remain in space for up to thirty days, a period that allows the company and NASA to inspect its systems before the crew arrives.
Subsequently, the SLS will launch from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying the Orion capsule with the four crew members. In Earth orbit, the NASA spacecraft will make contact with Blue Moon and maintain connection for about two days.
During this phase, two astronauts will enter the lunar module to check environmental, avionics, and compatibility systems between the two spacecraft. A test spacesuit will also be carried, designed to replicate the equipment that will be used in future activities on the lunar surface.
The schedule also includes an approach with Starship, the SpaceX vehicle that will have a modified version for lunar missions. The link between Orion and Starship will be used to evaluate communication and maneuvers between the two structures in orbit.
SpaceX continues to work on adapting Starship to an operational system that meets NASA's requirements for crewed travel to the Moon. Although the vehicle has conducted test flights, it is still under development and needs to prove crucial technologies, such as in-space refueling.
The architecture planned for subsequent missions depends on the ability to perform propellant transfers in orbit. For Artemis IV, NASA anticipates the need for multiple launches of supply spacecraft to prepare the lunar Starship before the journey.
Jeremy Parsons, Artemis Program Manager, emphasized that the mission will require unprecedented coordination among teams, launch infrastructures, and private partners. Parsons stated in a NASA update released in July that Artemis III would be a 'highly choreographed dance, with a demanding sequence of launches and operations equally complex for our ground and flight crews.'
The proposed experience has few parallels in space history. NASA material points out that only one previous crewed mission made rendezvous with more than one vehicle capable of sustaining its own crew: the Soviet Soyuz T-15 in 1986, which involved the Salyut 7 and Mir stations.
Despite the advanced plans, the vehicles still face development phases. Blue Origin is dealing with challenges following an incident during New Glenn engine tests, while SpaceX continues to refine Starship to meet the necessary criteria.
Steve Creech, NASA's Human Landing System Program Manager, clarified that the tests with commercial vehicles aim to build confidence before any crewed landing mission. Creech stated in a mission update that 'SpaceX and Blue Origin have presented ambitious goals to complement uncrewed demonstrations and expand our understanding and confidence in the spacecraft and rockets before a crewed landing.'
If Artemis III achieves its proposed objectives, NASA will use the acquired knowledge to advance Artemis IV, a mission intended to return astronauts to the lunar surface more than five decades after the end of the Apollo program.
NASA has accelerated preparations for the Artemis 3 mission, with various assembly activities taking place at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, United States. According to an update released on Monday (13), the progress of the work is described as being 'in full swing.'
This mission is scheduled to take place in mid to late 2027 and will carry four astronauts into low Earth orbit. They will travel aboard the Orion spacecraft, manufactured by Blue Origin, a company owned by Jeff Bezos, and will be launched using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Artemis 3 represents the second crewed mission of the Artemis program, whose fundamental purpose is to establish a lasting human presence on the Moon.
The central stage of the SLS rocket arrived at KSC at the end of April and was subsequently connected to the engine block in May. In June, the first two of the four RS-25 engines for the central stage were delivered. The installation of the remaining engines on this block will only occur after their arrival, at which point NASA plans to begin integration with the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) and conduct operational launch tests.
Additionally, in June, a temporary protective cover was provided to safeguard the stage during transport to the launch pad for testing before the vehicle is fully assembled. The lower segments of the two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) were recently delivered and are already fixed to the MLP. The upper segments arrived at KSC by train in June and will undergo inspections and tests before the boosters are fully assembled.
In the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building within KSC, engineers finalized the installation of the Orion spacecraft's heat shield. Artemis 3 will be the first Orion mission to use a revised heat shield, incorporating design improvements based on the analysis of unexpected wear observed on the shield used in the Artemis 1 mission.
The Orion service module is also located in the Operations and Checkout Building and recently completed its acoustic tests. Both the service module and the capsule are being prepared to be joined and subsequently transported to the VAB for final assembly.
In the operations area, the Artemis 3 team at KSC has begun conducting monthly countdown simulations. These simulations aim to refine the propellant fueling procedures for the SLS, the terminal countdown operations—the final ten minutes before launch—and the launch day procedures. NASA stated that these tests will continue regularly until launch.
Although Artemis 3 will not go to the Moon, NASA considers it a crucial phase in the program's lunar landing structure. The SLS will launch Orion and its four-person crew into low Earth orbit, where rendezvous and docking with two commercial lunar landers will occur: the Starship from SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, and the Blue Moon spacecraft from Blue Origin.
This mission follows Artemis 2, which took astronauts around the Moon in April 2026. Astronauts Randy Bresnik and Andre Douglas, designated for Artemis 3, visited the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at KSC last Friday (10).
While work continues on Artemis 3, other teams are already advancing preparations for Artemis 4, which is scheduled for late 2028. This mission aims to take astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
Recently, the liquid oxygen tank of the Artemis 4 SLS central stage was relocated inside the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, United States, initiating the testing phase for this component.
