NASA Names Artemis III Crew for Lunar Lander Tests

NASA has named four astronauts to crew its upcoming Artemis III mission, which will test lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin in Earth's orbit. The agency announced the crew at a ceremony in Houston on Tuesday.

The Artemis III crew includes U.S. astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas, along with Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano. The mission, planned for late 2027, will test docking procedures between NASA's Orion spacecraft and the lunar landers developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. This is a critical step before NASA attempts to land astronauts on the moon in 2028.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described Artemis III as an 'incredibly exciting, complicated, and highly coordinated multi-launch campaign.' The mission will involve multiple spacecraft and some of the world's most powerful rockets. It marks a key milestone in NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to establish a long-term human presence on the moon.

The crew members bring diverse backgrounds and experiences. Douglas, 40, is making his first spaceflight and will serve as mission specialist. Rubio, 50, holds the record for the longest single-duration spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut at 371 days. Bresnik, 58, is the oldest member of the crew and has participated in previous space missions. Parmitano, 49, is the only non-U.S. citizen on the mission and will serve as pilot.

The mission comes as both SpaceX and Blue Origin face technical challenges that could impact their readiness for Artemis III. Blue Origin recently experienced a launchpad explosion that destroyed its New Glenn rocket, while SpaceX continues to work on perfecting its Super Heavy-Starship rocket. Despite these setbacks, NASA is pressing ahead with plans for the mission.

NASA officials emphasized the importance of Artemis III in maintaining U.S. leadership in space exploration and paving the way for future lunar missions. The program faces competitive pressure from China, which is targeting its own crewed moon landing by 2030. With Artemis III, NASA aims to establish a permanent base on the Moon.

During an interview with Ars Technica at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Jeremy Parsons, NASA's Artemis program manager, discussed plans for the crew to dock with both a Blue Origin lander and a SpaceX Starship lander during the spaceflight in low-Earth orbit. The presentation left open key questions about the landers' readiness and what exactly they'll look like.

Blue Origin has stated that it will fly again before the end of this year, despite the recent launchpad explosion. Dave Limp, Blue Origin’s chief executive, posted on X that 'We will fly again before the end of this year.' John Couluris, Blue Origin’s senior vice-president of lunar permanence, amplified this assertion at NASA's event in Houston.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has promised a 'whole government response' to help Blue Origin recover from the explosion. He emphasized that NASA is laser-focused on the lander development for Artemis III and IV missions. The agency is reportedly urging Blue Origin to consider reconfiguring its Blue Moon lander to fly on a different rocket, such as SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy.