NASA and SpaceX have successfully tested a docking system for the Artemis III mission that will allow astronauts to transfer between the Orion spacecraft and Starship HLS for a Moon landing.

This system, based on Dragon 2 docking technology, will facilitate future crew transfer to the lunar surface and from lunar orbit to the Gateway space station. More than 200 deployment scenarios were tested, verifying the system’s ability to provide seamless transfers.

NASA’s Artemis campaign lays the foundation for long-term scientific exploration of the Moon. To facilitate the moon landing, astronauts will need to switch between different spacecraft. NASA and SpaceX recently conducted qualification tests of a docking system designed to perform these critical transitions.

For the Artemis III mission, astronauts will launch the Orion spacecraft from Earth into lunar orbit and then transfer them to the Starship Human Landing System (HLS), which will bring them to the surface after the two spacecraft dock. After completing its above-ground activities, Starship will send astronauts back to Orion, which is waiting in lunar orbit. During subsequent missions, astronauts will transfer from Orion to the Starship via the Gateway lunar space station. Based on SpaceX’s flight-proven Dragon 2 docking system used on International Space Station missions, the Starship docking system can be configured to connect the lander to Orion or Gateway.

Starship HLS’s docking system tests were conducted over 10 days at NASA’s Johnson Space Center using a system that simulates contact dynamics between two spacecraft in orbit. Testing included more than 200 docking scenarios with various approach angles and speeds. These real-world results using full-scale hardware will validate computer models of the lunar landing docking system.

This dynamic testing demonstrated that the Starship system was capable of performing “soft capture” during active docking. When two spacecraft dock, one vehicle plays the role of active “chaser” and the other plays the role of passive “target.” To perform soft capture, the soft capture system (SCS) of the active docking system is extended while the passive system on the other spacecraft remains retracted. The latches and other mechanisms in the SCS active docking system connect to the passive system, allowing two spacecraft to dock.

SpaceX has completed more than 30 specific HLS phases since being selected as the lander that will return humans to the surface of the Moon for the first time since Apollo; energy production, communication, guidance and navigation, propulsion, life. Ensuring and protecting the space environment.

As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will land the first woman, the first person of color, and the first international astronaut partner on the lunar surface, preparing humans for future expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all. The Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, research ground systems, and the Gateway space station, as well as commercial human landing systems, are critical to deep space exploration.