NASA Names the Artemis III Crew, a Four-Astronaut Team Set to Rehearse Lunar-Lander Docking in Earth Orbit in 2027
NASA assigned Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio to Artemis III, a 2027 Earth-orbit test flight to practice docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers.
Overview
NASA on June 9 named the four prime crew members and a backup for Artemis III, the next mission in its lunar program, and detailed a reshaped flight plan that will keep the crew in Earth orbit rather than sending them around the Moon. According to NASA, the agency “provided new Artemis III details and announced the four prime crew members and a backup for the test flight,” which is targeted to launch in 2027.
The assignment marks the first time NASA has put names to the Artemis III seats, and it formalizes a mission profile centered on rendezvous and docking practice with the commercial lunar landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. It follows NASA’s earlier restructuring of the Artemis program, which pushed the crewed lunar landing to 2028.
The Crew
The four prime crew members are NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik as commander, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot, and NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as mission specialists, according to NASA. The same lineup and roles were reported by Space.com and Al Jazeera.
NASA also named astronaut Bob Hines as a backup crew member, a designation NASA said was made “as part of Tuesday’s event.” Space.com likewise identified Hines as the backup.
Parmitano’s selection is a milestone for international participation: it “is the first time an ESA astronaut has been assigned an Artemis mission,” NASA said.
Several of the assigned astronauts are seasoned fliers. According to NASA, Rubio “is making his second trip to space” after launching aboard the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on Sept. 21, 2022, and returning on Sept. 27, 2023, “breaking the record for the longest single-duration spaceflight by an American astronaut with 371 days in orbit.” Artemis III will be the third spaceflight for Bresnik, who first launched aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-129 mission in 2009, and the third for Parmitano, NASA said. For Douglas, the mission will be his first spaceflight.
What the Mission Will Do
Artemis III, as now defined, is an Earth-orbit test flight rather than a lunar voyage. According to NASA, the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to low Earth orbit. “After Orion systems checkouts, the spacecraft will, for the first time, demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities with test versions from one, or both, American commercial human landing systems in development by Blue Origin and SpaceX,” NASA said.
Those landing systems are the heart of the test. NASA said Blue Origin is developing a crewed lunar version of its Blue Moon lander, while SpaceX is developing a crewed lunar version of its Starship, “with both companies building test articles for Artemis III.” Space.com reported that the mission will stay in low Earth orbit with no lunar landing, a contrast with Artemis II, which flew “a 10-day mission around the moon’s far side and back to Earth.”
That earlier mission, Artemis II, sent four astronauts around the Moon in the first crewed lunar voyage in decades. Al Jazeera summarized the Artemis III objective as “collecting research and practising in-space docking procedures in preparation for a future Moon landing.”
The orbital tests are a stepping stone. According to NASA, the mission “will undertake a series of challenging tests in Earth orbit in 2027, essential for Artemis IV, the first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole in 2028.”
Reaction
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman framed the assignment as a generational handoff. “Today we take another bold step in humanity’s return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts. Their achievements reignited global excitement for exploration, and now they pass the torch to the Artemis III team, Randy, Luca, Frank, and Andre,” Isaacman said, according to NASA. In comments reported by Space.com, Isaacman added that “Artemis 3 will be an extraordinary demonstration of what is possible when the greatest aerospace companies across the United States, alongside our European partners come together.”
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher emphasized Europe’s role. “Artemis III will push the boundaries of spacecraft operations in orbit. Luca’s assignment as pilot reflects the depth of European expertise in human spaceflight and draws on his extensive operational experience in high-pressure situations,” Aschbacher said, according to NASA, noting that ESA’s European Service Module “will once again provide the critical capabilities that power Orion.”
What We Don’t Know
NASA did not commit to a precise launch date within 2027; Space.com reported a window of “mid- to late 2027.” The agency’s framing also leaves open whether the crew will dock with one or both lander test articles, saying only that the demonstration will involve “one, or both,” of the systems.
The schedule depends heavily on hardware that has had a difficult year. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which is slated to loft the Blue Moon lander, was destroyed along with its only launch pad in a static-fire explosion earlier this month, an event that NASA and Blue Origin are still working through. The crew naming sets the human roster for Artemis III, but the readiness of both commercial landers remains the central open question for the 2027 target.