NASA has announced the crew for the Artemis III mission, planned for 2027, marking the next major step in the program to return humans to the Moon. Unlike earlier plans, in which Artemis III was often directly associated with a lunar landing, this mission will focus on complex tests in Earth orbit, including docking the Orion spacecraft with test versions of commercial lunar landing systems being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. These tests are expected to serve as a key preparation for Artemis IV, the first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole in 2028.
The Artemis III crew will consist of NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik as commander, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot, and NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as mission specialists. NASA astronaut Bob Hines has been named as the backup crew member. The crew will immediately begin training on Orion spacecraft systems, while also taking part in the development and operational preparation of the Blue Origin and SpaceX lander test versions.
Parmitano’s assignment is particularly significant, as he will become the first ESA astronaut assigned to an Artemis mission. ESA already plays an important role in the program through the European Service Module for Orion, which provides key functions such as propulsion, power and life-support capabilities.
According to the plan, the SLS rocket will launch Orion and its crew from Kennedy Space Center in Florida into low Earth orbit. After system checks, Orion is expected to dock first with a Blue Origin lander test article and later with a test version of SpaceX’s Starship lander. NASA says the mission will involve a coordinated multi-launch campaign and will test the interfaces between Orion and the landers, including software, communications, propulsion systems and docking operations.
Blue Origin’s test lander is expected to launch first. It will be capable of remaining in orbit for several weeks while awaiting the arrival of the crew. After Orion is launched by SLS, the crew will rendezvous with Blue Origin’s test article and spend about two days in joint operations, including entering the lander. Orion will then detach and wait for SpaceX’s Starship pathfinder, with which it will spend about one day conducting connected checkouts and tests.
The mission is expected to last about two weeks in total, although NASA says the final duration will depend on the actual circumstances of launch, rendezvous and orbital operations. Orion is scheduled to return by splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, where NASA and U.S. Navy teams will recover the astronauts.
Preparations for the mission are already under way. Engineers are expected to connect Orion’s crew module and service module this summer and integrate the docking system, which will fly for the first time on this mission. Work on the heat shield is continuing, while SLS rocket processing is also well advanced. NASA says the engine section is being integrated with the rest of the core stage, with installation of the four RS-25 engines expected during the summer. All solid rocket booster segments are already at Kennedy Space Center, and rocket stacking is also scheduled to begin this summer.
Randy Bresnik has already completed two spaceflights, including the STS-129 mission aboard space shuttle Atlantis and a stay aboard the International Space Station as part of Expeditions 52 and 53. Artemis III will also be Parmitano’s third spaceflight; he previously flew to the ISS twice, serving as commander of Expedition 61 during his second mission. Frank Rubio will be making his second trip to space, following his record-setting 371-day stay in orbit, the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut. For Andre Douglas, Artemis III will be his first spaceflight.
Artemis III is therefore becoming a key demonstration mission for the next phase of the Artemis program. Through it, NASA aims to validate operations needed for later flights to the Moon, including complex rendezvous and docking operations in space, cooperation with commercial landers and preparations for future crewed missions to the lunar surface — and, in the longer term, to Mars.
