NASA updates Orion lunar lander docking plans for Artemis program

NASA has updated its operational plans for lunar landings by revising how the Orion spacecraft will dock with human landers, Ars Technica reported. A chart shared by the agency demonstrated Orion docking with the Blue Moon lander in an elliptical lunar orbit about 8,500 kilometres above the surface of the Moon. Ars Technica and Mirage News both report that NASA is updating its lander and Artemis program operations. [1][2]

Jeremy Parsons, the manager of the Artemis Program for NASA, stated that the agency is also working on an option to dock Orion in a low Lunar orbit just a few hundred kilometres above the Moon, according to Ars Technica. Parsons explained that this lower orbit significantly reduces the propellant required by the lander to transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface. The saved mass can then be utilised elsewhere on the vehicle. [1]

The transition to a lower orbit also provides faster and more frequent opportunities for astronauts to return from the lunar surface if necessary, Ars Technica reported. The Blue Moon lander is being developed by a consortium led by Blue Origin that includes Lockheed Martin, Draper, Boeing, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics. A human-rated version of the spacecraft is designed to carry a crew of four astronauts to the Moon for the Artemis program. [1][3]