NASA names Artemis III crew: three Americans and an Italian will test lunar docking in 2027

The crew

NASA announced the four-person crew for the Artemis III mission during a press conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday. Commander Randy Bresnik (NASA), pilot Luca Parmitano (European Space Agency), and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio (both NASA) will fly the Orion capsule to low Earth orbit. Bob Hines, also a NASA astronaut, was named as the backup crew member. For Andre Douglas, the flight will be his first space mission.

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The mission profile

Artemis III will launch aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Once in low Earth orbit, the crew will test docking the Orion capsule with one or more lunar landers. The lander hardware is being developed by SpaceX, Blue Origin, or both companies. The docking test is a prerequisite for later missions that aim to put astronauts back on the lunar surface.

Europe's milestone

Luca Parmitano, a former fighter pilot, will become the first ESA astronaut to fly on an Artemis mission. The previous flight, Artemis II, carried Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen around the Moon aboard Orion. Parmitano's inclusion marks a deepening of international partnership in the Artemis programme.

The roadmap ahead

Artemis III is scheduled to launch in 2027. The following mission, Artemis IV, is planned for 2028 and targets a crewed landing at the lunar south pole. The ultimate goal of the Artemis programme is to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.