The names of the four astronauts for the Artemis III mission were announced today. The announcement was made during an official presentation at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The crew will head to Earth orbit in 2027 to practice docking with commercial landing modules and test key systems ahead of a future moon landing.
Mission crew
Randy Bresnik will lead the Artemis III crew; this will be his third spaceflight. Joining him on the mission will be Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency. They were unveiled at an official presentation at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. It was in this hall that the return of the Artemis II crew was celebrated in April following their successful lunar flyby.
The crew includes astronauts with experience in spacewalks and piloting; these skills were a top priority during the selection process for this mission. Artemis III requires the crew to perform complex operations that have not been practiced before within the program.
Official presentation of the Artemis III mission crew by NASA. Source: youtube.com / @NASA
Mission plan has changed
Artemis III was originally intended to be the first crewed mission to land on the Moon since 1972. In February 2026, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman changed the plan, and the crew’s mission is now to conduct comprehensive testing in Earth orbit.
The crew aboard the Orion capsule will dock with lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin. At the same time, the astronauts will check the propulsion, life support, and communication systems of these landers, and may also test new spacesuits designed for use on the Moon’s surface.
Final rehearsal
The approach is similar to NASA’s Apollo 9 mission in 1969, when the lunar module was tested in orbit two months before the Apollo 11 landing. Conducting tests near Earth gives engineers time to identify technical issues and resolve them before the actual flight to the Moon.
According to Jeremy Parsons, a representative of NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Directorate, Artemis III is one of the most challenging missions the agency has ever undertaken.
When we fly to the Moon
The first crewed moon landing is now scheduled to take place as part of the Artemis IV mission in 2028. During this mission, astronauts are expected to set foot on the Moon for the first time since 1972.
This will require the results of Artemis III. A successful rendezvous and docking in orbit will confirm the readiness of commercial spacecraft and pave the way for full-scale lunar expeditions.
According to nasa.gov, nasa.gov, space.com, interestingengineering.com
