The Artemis III mission will test critical components for the upcoming moon-landing mission.

The expedition to return to the moon took another step forward Tuesday as NASA announced the astronauts selected for the Artemis III mission. The crew will consist of four male astronauts from NASA and the European Space Agency: Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, Luca Parmitano and Randy Bresnik. The crew, announced two months after Artemis II returned to Earth upon completing a much-celebrated voyage around the moon, will test critical components required for the upcoming moon-landing mission. It will not land on the moon itself. NASA’s announcement also confronted the recent explosion of New Glenn, a rocket owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ astronautics company, Blue Origin. The rocket, which will launch separately from the crew, is slated to carry the lander needed for the Artemis III mission into space. The rocket exploded on May 28, damaging the only pad Blue Origin had to launch New Glenn. John Couluris, senior vice president of lunar permanence at Blue Origin, said that the “significant anomaly” will not delay the launch projected in mid-2027. The Best Cartoons on Donald Trump Once cleanup is complete, Blue Origin will continue construction of the launch complex, according to Couluris. He ensured that they are continuing their initial construction pace and “have redoubled our efforts.” “Setbacks are a learning opportunity,” Jeremy Parsons, NASA’s acting assistant deputy associate administrator for the Moon to Mars Program Office said. “We are confident that New Glenn will be ready for Artemis III together with Blue Origin.” Who Are the Artemis III Astronauts? Andre Douglas: mission specialist This is Douglas’ first space flight. He was a backup crew member for the Artemis II mission. He was selected by NASA to join the 2021 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in 2022. Douglas served in the Coast Guard as a naval architect, engineer and officer. Douglas gave a heartfelt thanks to his family in his introduction speech. “To my boys – boys, if you put in the hard work and think big, you can do just about anything you want to do,” Douglas said. Frank Rubio: mission specialist Rubio was selected by NASA to join the 2017 astronaut candidate class. Rubio’s last mission to space was extended after an unexpected leak in his capsule. He remained in space for 371 days, the longest single spaceflight of any NASA astronaut. Before then, Rubio served in the Army as colonel, physician and former Blackhawk helicopter pilot for over 28 years. Rubio flew over 1,100 hours, including 600 hours of combat during deployments in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a board-certified family physician and flight surgeon. Luca Parmitano: pilot Parmitano represents the ESA as the first Italian space station commander. He was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009. “For me, that launchpad is my country, Italy. It's the education system, the Italian air force that gave me the professional tools to bring me here today,” he said. He completed his basic flight training with the U.S. Air Force in 2001. Parmitano’s first stay in space was 166 days, during which he conducted over 20 experiments, experienced two spacewalks and docked four spacecraft. His longest mission was 201 days and performed four spacewalks, adding to his total of six spacewalks for over 33 hours in his career. Randy Bresnik: commander Bresnik was named the commander of the Artemis III mission. He is a two-time astronaut, former International Space Station commander and retired Marine Corps colonel. Bresnik was selected as an astronaut in 2004, making him the longest-serving astronaut on the mission. He is a test pilot with more than 7,000 flight hours and 3,600 hours in spaceflight. He has experienced over 32 hours of spacewalks. He currently serves as the assistant to the chief of the Astronaut Office for Exploration, managing the development and testing of the Artemis missions. Bob Hines was also announced as the backup crew member. Hines is a test pilot, Air Force colonel and former SpaceX crew pilot who will be ready to join the crew if necessary. What Is Artemis III? Artemis III is the midpoint of the planned missions for NASA’s Artemis program, currently a five-pronged space initiative to return to the moon with the intention of establishing a permanent base there. The first of the Artemis missions was launched in November 2022, sending an uncrewed test flight on a 1.4 million-mile journey around the moon and back to Earth. Artemis III is scheduled to launch its crew in an Orion spacecraft on top of a Space Launch System rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch is expected to happen by mid-2027. What Is the Goal for Artemis III? The Artemis III mission is designed to test the skills that will be required to land on the moon. The Artemis missions have already made great strides in that effort. Artemis II carried humans beyond Earth's orbit for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. The next challenge is replicating the moon landing. “Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hanson showed us the moon again, and they showed us Earth again. They helped reinvigorate the world's interest in space exploration,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said. “And now just as Mercury, Gemini and Apollo crews that came before them, Artemis II will pass all they have learned and hand the torch to Artemis III.” NASA’s human landing system program is working with commercial firms SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop a lander, or a spacecraft that will allow astronauts to travel from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon and back. The companies have developed different versions of a landing spacecraft.

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