Will Artemis III crew land on Moon?
What's the story
NASA has announced the crew for its upcoming Artemis III mission, which is set to take place next year. The team will be led by US Marine Corps Colonel Randy Bresnik, a veteran of the International Space Station (ISS) and space shuttle programs. He will be joined by Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency (ESA), and two American astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio.
Crew profiles
Meet the Artemis III crew
The Artemis III crew members come from diverse backgrounds. Rubio, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot and flight surgeon, holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a NASA astronaut at 371 days. Parmitano, who once nearly "drowned" in space during an ISS spacewalk, is a fighter pilot in Italy's air force. Douglas is a systems engineer and Coast Guard reserve officer with no previous spaceflight experience but trained with Artemis II astronauts as part of their backup crew.
Mission details
Mission details and objectives
The Artemis III mission will be a two-week journey into low Earth orbit, testing lunar landers developed by private companies Blue Origin and SpaceX. The crew will stay close to Earth, unlike their predecessors on the successful April mission that looped around the Moon. They will test docking procedures and life support systems in space for both landers competing for the Artemis IV contract.
Future missions
'Earth's 1st starfleet'
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the Artemis III crew as "Earth's first starfleet." He also outlined the agency's ambitious plans for future lunar exploration, including the construction of a permanent Moon base and additional missions. The first human lunar landing in 56 years is scheduled for Artemis IV in 2028.