NASA’s first female launch director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, visited the Great Lakes Science Center to encourage students to consider STEM careers. She says Artemis III preparations are advancing; the mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than June 2027.
Artemis III will test the docking needed to connect with landers that are to carry astronauts to the lunar surface. Blackwell-Thompson said launch procedures for the Space Launch System and Orion are well underway, hardware is at Kennedy, and the boosters are almost stacked.
Blackwell-Thompson directed liftoff for Artemis I and II. She described Artemis I as a chance to learn how to ready the vehicle; Artemis II was a 10-day first crewed flight to check systems for journeys around the Moon and carried four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans had traveled. A high-school teacher encouraged her to consider engineering, and she said she hopes to give students a similar nudge.
