NASA names Artemis III crew for mission next year

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NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio, along with Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, will crew the Artemis III spaceflight mission in 2027, NASA announced Tuesday. The team will launch into low Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft, then conduct docking tests with moon lander vehicles from both SpaceX and Blue Origin. The mission’s goal is to make sure hardware, communications, and systems work well together in preparation for a moon landing in 2028. The trip is expected to last about two weeks.

The 2027 mission will involve heavy-lift rockets starting from several different launch pads so that the Orion spacecraft and test vehicles precisely meet up in space, Artemis Program Manager Jeremy Parsons said. NASA was working hard to beat China to the moon, and many Artemis III components were already ready, including an improved heat shield for Orion, he said.

What do we know about the Artemis III crew members?

Commander Randy Bresnik has already been part of two space missions to the International Space Station, one in 2008 and one in 2017. He is a retired U.S. Marine colonel with over 7,000 hours of flight experience in 95 types of aircraft. He has overseen the development and testing of spacecraft and systems used for the Artemis missions since 2018, according to NASA.
Pilot Luca Parmitano has also been on two missions to the space station, including one in which he served as its commander. He served in the Italian Air Force as a test pilot and colonel for years before becoming an astronaut in 2009.
Mission specialist Andre Douglas previously served as a backup crew member for the Artemis II mission. He has a background in the Coast Guard, a doctorate in systems engineering, and experience designing and testing autonomous vehicles and space exploration systems at Johns Hopkins University.
Mission specialist Frank Rubio has been to space once before. He holds the record for the longest single-duration spaceflight by an American astronaut: 371 days in orbit. He spent more than 28 years in the U.S. Army as an aviator, physician, and astronaut, according to NASA.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the status of cracks and leaks aboard the International Space Station.

Elizabeth Black

Elizabeth is a breaking news reporter at WORLD. She is a graduate of World Journalism Institute and Patrick Henry College. She resides in northern Virginia with her husband.