NASA Artemis Update: SLS Stacking, Sortie Suit, Dual 2028 Paths

Date:
Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:25:36 +0000

Description:
NASA released its October Artemis Update on Friday, covering the near-term status of the Space The post NASA Artemis Update: SLS Stacking, Sortie Suit, Dual 2028 Paths appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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NASA released its October Artemis Update on Friday, covering the near-term status of the Space Launch System (SLS), a lighter sortie version of the
lunar spacesuit, and two parallel architectures for delivering astronauts to the lunar surface.

Many of the elements had been discussed in prior program updates. However,
the briefing did include the first public images of crew cabin hardware from both SpaceX and Blue Origin.



SLS Assembly and Stubby Stack for Tanking Tests

Three major elements remain essential for the first crewed Artemis landing: the launch vehicle, the lunar lander, and the spacesuit for extravehicular activity.

Artemis III is the low-Earth-orbit mission inserted into the manifest earlier this year. It is targeted for no earlier than summer 2027. Artemis III slide. 14 day mission.

Blue Moon launches first. SLS as ready as possible at that time. SLS/Orion launches. Orion docks to Blue Moon Lander, Flight Day 3.

Undocks on Flight 6. Starship launches.

Orion docks to Starship on Flight Day 8. Two hours, no entry into pic.twitter.com/g9TcfeXdZv

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) October 23, 2026



On that flight, Orion is planned to dock with prototype versions of both Blue Origins Blue Moon and SpaceXs Starship.

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, NASA teams have completed the initial phase of stacking the twin solid rocket boosters.

The agency confirmed that the Core Stage, the element that gives the vehicle its distinctive orange appearance, is scheduled to be integrated between the boosters next week. Officials displayed a live feed from the VAB during the briefing showing ongoing work.

Unlike the full stacks prepared for Artemis I and II, this vehicle will not receive an upper stage or the Orion spacecraft.

The resulting stubby configuration will roll to Launch Complex 39B for
tanking tests. These tests are intended to address hydrogen leakage issues experienced at the Tail Service Mast Umbilical interfaces during preparations for the first two missions. In April, they started a process to redesign the TSM (Tail Service Mast) umbilicals. Remember, they've had some LH2 leak issues. pic.twitter.com/KXqTgZEq3p

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) October 23, 2026



Those interfaces have undergone redesign work since April. The tanking test, once expected around the present timeframe, is now planned for several months from now.

Upper Stage Plans: Final ICPS or Stretched Centaur V

Because Artemis III uses a low-Earth-orbit profile, no upper stage is required. A cylindrical spacer will position Orion so that it still mates
with existing ground support equipment.

Artemis IV is planned to fly an upper stage. Three Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stages (ICPS) were manufactured for the original Block 1 configuration. Two have already flown, and the third was reassigned to
Artemis IV after the low-Earth-orbit mission was added.

The Exploration Upper Stage that would have created the Block 1B
configuration was canceled earlier this year amid cost and schedule overruns. The ICPS itself is derived from the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage, whose production line has been closed. Orion with the stretched Centaur (and they are working on a kick stage option), after NASA decided the EUS wasn't going to satisfy the timelines. pic.twitter.com/gL0YqQK8g7

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) October 23, 2026



NASA has therefore selected United Launch Alliances Centaur V as the standardized upper stage going forward.

Multiple Centaur V variants exist. Officially confirmed versions include the original high-energy configuration and a low-Earth-orbit-optimized version developed in connection with Amazons Leo constellation. A stretched-tank variant, previously indicated in job postings, has now been formally confirmed. NASA will transition to the stretched Centaur and is leaving the exact timing open.

Artemis IV could fly either the final ICPS or a stretched Centaur V. The decision point is currently next summer, near the Artemis III launch window. Selection of Centaur V would require modifications to the Mobile Launcher for ground support connections.

Spacesuit: Sortie Variant to Protect 2028 Timeline

The spacesuit remains a critical path item for any surface mission. In 2022 NASA awarded firm-fixed-price service contracts to Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace covering both lunar and International Space Station suits. The goal was to introduce competition and redundancy. See Also Artemis Section L2 Artemis Click here to Join L2

Axiom later presented its Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). The
2024 Preliminary Design Review determined that the suit already exceeded its mass allocation.

Collins Aerospace withdrew from the contract in 2024, leaving Axiom responsible for both the lunar and zero-g suits. Suit testing originally targeted for 2025 was deferred to 2027.

NASAs Office of Inspector General subsequently described the earlier timeline as overly optimistic. It noted that if delays matched historical averages,
the suits might not be ready until 2031. That would be too late for a 2028 landing goal.

To accelerate availability, NASA has directed Axiom to develop a Sortie suit. This is a lighter and simpler derivative of the AxEMU, achieved in part by reducing mass and simplifying interfaces with the landers. The sortie suit will be certified for shorter surface durations, a minimum of two hours at a time. It will not be rated for the permanently shadowed regions near the
lunar south pole. It also will not support the longer, multi-EVA campaigns planned for the full AxEMU.

For reference, Apollo 11s single EVA lasted approximately two and a half hours. Apollo 17 conducted three excursions totaling more than seven hours. The full-capability AxEMU remains in development for later missions.

Lander Pathways and Orion Delivery Options

No new imagery of the landing systems themselves was released. Photographs of Blue Origins lander test-article crew cabin and SpaceXs Cabin 1 were shown. Cabin 1 is a full-scale, flight-like crew compartment mockup inside the Starfactory. Finally get to see Cabin 1! pic.twitter.com/SPULz83hKO

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) October 23, 2026



NASA confirmed it is evaluating two distinct approaches for bringing Orion into proximity with the landers in low lunar orbit.

After the Lunar Gateway was paused earlier this year, the original Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit rendezvous was set aside in favor of low lunar orbit. The lower orbit is considered safer but requires additional propellant.

Orions European Service Module provides limited performance for a lunar round trip. This is one factor driving the upper-stage upgrade.

Blue Moon architecture:

Three transfer stages derived from the Blue Moon Mk1 would first assemble in low Earth orbit. The Mk2 crew lander would launch on a New Glenn 94 vehicle from Launch Complex 36B. It would dock with the transfer stages and depart
for the Moon, inserting into an elliptical polar lunar orbit.

Two of the transfer stages would separate en route, leaving one attached. Orion would then launch directly to the Moon and dock with the stack in polar orbit. Two astronauts would transfer into Blue Moon. Orion would undock. The remaining transfer stage would lower the lander to low lunar orbit, and Blue Moon would perform the final descent.

The sequence is required because Orions service module lacks the performance to reach low lunar orbit on its own.

Starship architecture:

A depot Starship would launch to low Earth orbit (LEO) and be refueled by multiple tanker flights. The lunar lander Starship would then launch, dock with the depot to refuel, and climb to a higher orbit called the Final
Tanking Orbit (FTO).

The depot would then be refueled by multiple tanker flights in LEO before raising itself to the FTO. There, the lunar lander Starship would dock to the depot again for refueling before climbing to a high Earth orbit. Orion would launch into Earth orbit and dock with the lander Starship. The combined stack would then perform the trans-lunar injection and circularize into low lunar orbit.

Crew transfer and landing would follow. NASA is evaluating modifications to Orion to preserve propellant for the return burn under this approach.

NASA stated that it intends to keep both architectures available for Artemis IV for as long as possible. This maximizes schedule flexibility and the probability of achieving a crewed lunar landing in 2028.

Integrating the respective vehicles, stages, and interfaces into a coherent architecture remains a complex undertaking. That was the central subject of the October update.

Featured Image: The NASA press conference (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)



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