# The Artemis III mission is slated to fly as early as 2027.

*aerospace · news · 2026-06-09 · Bloomberg*

## Key points

- NASA named Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as Artemis III mission specialists.
- Luca Parmitano of Italy will serve as the Artemis III mission pilot.
- Randy Bresnik has been assigned as commander of the Artemis III flight.
- Artemis III will test SpaceX and Blue Origin moon landers with crew as early as 2027.

NASA announced the four astronauts who will fly to space as soon as next year to test out moon landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin — the next stage in the agency’s ambitious Artemis program to ultimately send humans back to the lunar surface. The newly assigned crew includes NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, who will serve as mission specialists. They’ll be joined by Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, the mission’s pilot, and NASA’s Randy Bresnik, the flight’s commander. The upcoming Artemis III mission is slated to fly as early as 2027.

**Companies:** SpaceX, Blue Origin
**Countries:** United States, Italy

[Read the full story on Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-09/nasa-picks-crew-for-2027-artemis-mission-to-test-moon-landers)

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