Four astronauts are slated to fly into low Earth orbit to test lunar landing modules for future missions to the moon, as unveiled by NASA on Tuesday.
The all-male crew includes Commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, who were selected for the Artemis III mission by NASA. Astronaut Bob Hines was also named as a backup crew member.
“Today we take another bold step in humanity's return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a press release. "Their achievements reignited global excitement for exploration, and now they pass the torch to the Artemis III team, Randy, Luca, Frank, and Andre. Artemis III will demonstrate the power of American innovation and international partnership as we test complex rendezvous and docking operations and advance the technologies that will one day carry us deeper into the solar system.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the success of the Artemis II mission, which brought four astronauts back to lunar territory for the first time in more than 50 years. Among them were Christina Koch, the first woman to venture to the moon, and Victor Glover, the first Black man to do so.
Koch, Glover, and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman each attended the announcement on Tuesday to pass along words of advice to the new crew. Wiseman passed on a literal, physical baton he often spoke about, saying he would give it to the next crew.
The four crew members of Artemis III are a racially diverse group. Douglas is Black; Rubio is Hispanic; Parmitano is an Italian astronaut from the European Space Agency; and Bresnik is white.
The mission, expected to launch in 2027 and last two weeks, will involve docking with each of the lunar landers, a complicated maneuver that will be essential to future missions that land on the moon. It will also test life support systems that can only be tested in space.
The Artemis III mission revolves around testing lunar landing systems that will be used in future missions to properly land on the moon's surface. The lunar landers for Artemis III are from SpaceX and Blue Origin, both of which were contracted to aid in the Artemis program.
Blue Origin's Mark 2 lunar lander is being constructed for the mission, with John Couluris from Blue Origin assuring it will be ready in time for Artemis III. Addressing the recent explosion of a Blue Origin rocket on the launch pad, Couluris said cleanup and an investigation are moving forward. A Mark 1 lander is slated to be launched to the moon as soon as this fall, but it will not be used in Artemis III.
SpaceX also assured its Starship lunar lander will be ready in time for the Artemis III mission.
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