By BlueShift | 2026-06-10

NASA on June 9 announced the four prime crew members for its Artemis III mission, which will undertake a series of challenging tests in Earth orbit in 2027 to pave the way for a planned crewed mission to the lunar south pole in 2028.

A backup for the test flight also was named, and the US space agency provided new details about the Artemis III mission -- a hotly anticipated venture that follows the successful conclusion in April of the Artemis II moonshot.

Artemis III sets the stage for two moon landing attempts, slated for 2028.

Three NASA astronauts -- Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio -- and one astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA), Italian national Luca Parmitano, will make up the primary crew.

Parmitano, who will serve as the pilot, will be the first European to join an Artemis mission.

NASA astronaut Bob Hines was named as a backup crew member.

During the NASA unveiling, Parmitano grew emotional as he thanked his family and the space agencies that made his nomination possible, AFP reported.

He called Italy his "launchpad" into space and ESA a bridge, dubbing the US space agency NASA "the rocket, figuratively and literally."

The crew will begin training immediately on Orion spacecraft systems, as well as assist in the development and operations of the test versions of Blue Origin and SpaceX landers, NASA said in a statement.

'Another bold step'

During Artemis III, NASA's Space Launch System rocket will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew from the Kennedy Space Center to low Earth orbit.

After Orion systems checkouts, the spacecraft will demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities with test versions from one, or both, US commercial human landing systems in development by Blue Origin and SpaceX.

The mission will test integrated hardware between Orion and the landers, including system interfaces, software, propulsion and communications.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman hailed Artemis III as "another bold step in humanity’s return to the moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts."

"Their achievements reignited global excitement for exploration, and now they pass the torch to the Artemis III team, Randy, Luca, Frank, and Andre," he said.

"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."

"Artemis III will push the boundaries of spacecraft operations in orbit," ESA director general Josef Aschbacher said.

"Luca’s assignment as pilot reflects the depth of European expertise in human spaceflight and draws on his extensive operational experience in high-pressure situations."

"At the same time, ESA’s European Service Module will once again provide the critical capabilities that power Orion, demonstrating Europe’s enduring role at the very heart of the Artemis program."

"Europeans can take pride in being part of this exciting journey.”

Increased mission cadence

Planned operations for Artemis III will support an increased mission cadence, ramp up production, and drive supply chain improvements for the program.

Artemis III includes launching the world’s most powerful rockets in short order. Blue Origin’s lander pathfinder, which is able to stay in orbit for multiple weeks, will launch first and await the crew.

NASA will send the astronauts aboard Orion by SLS to orbit Earth, before rendezvousing in space with the company’s lander test article and spending about two days docked together for tests and technology demonstrations, including entering the lander.

After completing docked operations with Blue Origin, Orion will detach and await Starship. SpaceX’s Starship pathfinder will launch and meet up with Orion to spend about a day connected for checkouts and testing.

After that, Orion and its crew will undock and return home, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean where a US Navy and NASA team will recover the astronauts.

In total, the crew is expected to remain in space for about two weeks.