Artemis III Crew Announced

NASA has unveiled new details about the upcoming Artemis III mission and announced the four astronauts who will make up its prime crew, along with a backup crew member.

The Artemis III crew poses for an official portrait (from left: Andre Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio). Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford

Scheduled for 2027, Artemis III will conduct a series of critical tests in Earth orbit that will pave the way for Artemis IV and humanity’s return to the Moon’s South Pole in 2028. The mission represents one of the most ambitious human spaceflight efforts in decades.

Artemis III will launch aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Space Center, carrying the Orion spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Once there, Orion will perform its first-ever rendezvous and docking demonstrations with test lunar landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. These complex operations will test spacecraft interfaces, software, propulsion systems, and communications technologies essential for future lunar missions.

NASA/Robert Markowitz

The Artemis III crew includes commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio. NASA astronaut Bob Hines will serve as the backup crew member. Together, they will begin training immediately to prepare for this historic mission and help refine the next generation of lunar exploration systems.