Nasa reveals astronauts for Artemis III mission
Nasa on Tuesday revealed the four astronauts that will join the next Artemis mission — a key, two-week flight that will aim to test out various technologies considered vital to putting astronauts back on the surface of the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, reports BritPanorama.
The crew, set to launch as soon as late 2027, includes three NASA astronauts — first-time space flier Andre Douglas, record-setting astronaut Frank Rubio, and veteran flier and test pilot Randy Bresnik — as well as Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency.
Artemis III is designed to serve as a precursor mission to a moon landing, testing how the NASA-built Orion spacecraft will dock with a lunar lander. The primary goal of the flight, according to the space agency, is to “reduce risk” heading into an actual lunar touchdown, which NASA hopes will take place as soon as 2028.
To reach the moon’s surface, astronauts will need to execute a docking maneuver while in lunar orbit. However, for Artemis III, NASA aims to conduct the test in low-Earth orbit (LEO), the zone closest to Earth where the International Space Station operates.
The Artemis III crew will launch from Florida aboard their Orion capsule, the same type of spacecraft that completed April’s historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission, and remain in low-Earth orbit.
At least one lunar lander will launch separately, though it remains unclear whether it will be SpaceX’s Starship, Blue Origin’s Blue Moon, or both. Upon reaching low-Earth orbit, the lunar lander would rendezvous with Orion, facilitating docking and potential access to a lander for the astronauts.
NASA has indicated it might conduct the test flight using both Blue Moon and Starship, although it is unclear how soon either lander will be operational. The agency has recently intensified efforts to encourage competition among the companies that hold multibillion-dollar contracts to deliver crew-worthy lunar landers to NASA, amid various development setbacks and delays.
During Tuesday’s press conference, NASA chief Jared Isaacman reiterated that Artemis III could involve docking with both landers, noting that Orion “will rendezvous and dock with the Blue Origin lander, and then again with the SpaceX lander.”
Isaacman also mentioned that NASA plans to perform a critical test—called a wet dress rehearsal—of its Space Launch System rocket (SLS) by the end of the year.
The preparations for the Artemis III mission highlight NASA’s strategic approach to returning humans to the moon, a significant step in its broader ambitions for space exploration.
