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<\/a><\/figure>Taking another step toward one of the most complex human spaceflight missions in recent history, NASA on Tuesday provided new Artemis\u00a0III details and announced the four prime crew members and a backup for the test flight. The mission will undertake a series of challenging tests in Earth orbit in 2027, essential for Artemis IV, the first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole in 2028.<\/p>\n
During Artemis III, the agency\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to low Earth orbit. After Orion systems checkouts, the spacecraft will, for the first time, demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities with test versions from one, or both, American commercial human landing systems in development by Blue Origin and SpaceX. This highly choreographed mission includes a dramatic multi-launch campaign of the world\u2019s most powerful rockets, testing integrated hardware between Orion and the landers, including system interfaces, software, propulsion, and communications.<\/p>\n
Crew assignments are as follows:<\/p>\n
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- NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik<\/a>, commander<\/li>\n
- ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano<\/a>, pilot<\/li>\n
- NASA astronaut Andre Douglas<\/a>, mission specialist<\/li>\n
- NASA astronaut Frank Rubio<\/a>, mission specialist<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As part of Tuesday\u2019s event, NASA astronaut Bob Hines<\/a> was named as a backup crew member. 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we take another bold step in humanity\u2019s return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts,\u201d said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. \u201cTheir 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. This mission will require the most awe-inspiring coordination of heavy-lift rocket launches in history, drawing on the talent and capability of teams across government and the spaceflight community. The Artemis III astronauts, alongside ESA and our international partners, and the tens of thousands of the best and brightest across the agency and industry, are ushering in a new Golden Age of exploration carrying forward the hopes and dreams of the next generation just as the Apollo astronauts did for so many of us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This also is the first time an ESA astronaut has been assigned an Artemis mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cArtemis III will push the boundaries of spacecraft operations in orbit. Luca\u2019s assignment as pilot reflects the depth of European expertise in human spaceflight and draws on his extensive operational experience in high-pressure situations,\u201d said Josef Aschbacher, ESA\u2019s director general. \u201cAt the same time, ESA\u2019s European Service Module will once again provide the critical capabilities that power Orion, demonstrating Europe\u2019s enduring role at the very heart of the Artemis program. The news out of Houston today is a powerful recognition of ESA\u2019s role in enabling humanity\u2019s return to the Moon \u2013 and a key advancement in our partnership with NASA. Europeans can take pride in being part of this exciting journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mission progress<\/strong><\/p>\n
NASA and its partners are making progress preparing for the test flight.<\/p>\n
Engineers will connect the Orion crew module and service module this summer and integrate the spacecraft\u2019s docking system, which will fly for the first time. Heat shield testing continues with individual blocks having undergone ultra-sonic inspections and installation onto the heat shield structure.<\/p>\n
Rocket processing also is well underway. Technicians for SLS are integrating the engine section to the rest of the core stage ahead of installing the four RS-25 engines this summer. With all solid rocket booster segments now at NASA Kennedy and mobile launcher refurbishments on track, rocket stacking also is scheduled to begin this summer. NASA continues design and fabrication of a spacer that will replace the upper stage on Artemis III.<\/p>\n
Blue Origin is developing a crewed lunar version of the company\u2019s Blue Moon lander, while SpaceX is developing a crewed lunar lander version of the company\u2019s Starship, with both companies building test articles for Artemis III. NASA is supporting both\u00a0lander providers hands-on throughout\u00a0design, development, testing, and evaluation, including sharing agency expertise and capabilities gained from previous missions.<\/p>\n
In addition to status updates from NASA and both commercial partners, the agency discussed details during the event about the planned operations for Artemis III, which will support an increased mission cadence, ramp up production, and drive supply chain improvements for the Artemis program.<\/p>\n
The Artemis III mission builds on the successful Artemis II<\/a> flight completed in April and will help the agency prepare to send the first astronauts, Americans, to Mars.<\/p>\n
Artemis III includes launching the world\u2019s most powerful rockets in short order. Blue Origin\u2019s 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\u2019s lander test article and spending about two days docked together for tests and technology demonstrations, including entering the lander.<\/p>\n
After completing docked operations with Blue Origin, Orion will detach and await Starship. SpaceX\u2019s 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 safely down in the Pacific Ocean where a team from the U.S. Navy and NASA will recover the astronauts.<\/p>\n
In total, the crew is expected to remain in space for about two weeks, with exact mission length to be determined in real-time based on launch, rendezvous, and docked operations.<\/p>\n
Learn more about Artemis III crew members<\/strong><\/p>\n
This will be the third mission to space for Bresnik, having launched aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station in 2009. He later flew on the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the space station, serving as a flight engineer for the station\u2019s Expedition 52 and commander of Expedition 53. A California native, he graduated from The Citadel with a degree in mathematics and was selected by NASA in the 2004 astronaut candidate class. A retired U.S. Marine colonel, he has logged more than 7,000 hours in 95 types of aircraft and is a fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Since 2018, he has served as assistant to the chief of the Astronaut Office for exploration, overseeing the development and testing of the spacecraft and systems that will operate during Artemis missions.<\/p>\n
Artemis III also will be the third spaceflight for Parmitano. Selected by ESA as an astronaut in 2009, he first served as a flight engineer on the Italian Space Agency\u2019s (ASI) first long-duration mission to the space station, launching on a Soyuz from Baikonur in 2013. He returned to the orbital laboratory in 2019 aboard Soyuz MS-13 for his second mission, during which he served as commander of Expedition 61, becoming the third European, and the first Italian, to command the station. Parmitano earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in political sciences from the University of Naples Federico II and a master\u2019s degree in experimental flight test engineering from the Institut Sup\u00e9rieur de l\u2019A\u00e9ronautique et de l\u2019Espace in Toulouse, France. A graduate of the Italian Air Force Academy, he became a test pilot in 2007 and was promoted to colonel in 2019. He has logged more than 2,000 flight hours across 40 types of aircraft.<\/p>\n
Rubio is making his second trip to space. He launched aboard the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft from Baikonur to the space station on Sept. 21, 2022, and returned on Sept. 27, 2023, breaking the record for the longest single-duration spaceflight by an American astronaut with 371 days in orbit. Rubio was selected by NASA in the 2017 astronaut candidate class. A Florida native, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1998, earned a doctor of medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2010, and has served for more than 28 years in the U.S. Army as an aviator, a physician, and an astronaut.<\/p>\n
The mission is Douglas\u2019 first spaceflight. Selected by NASA in the 2021 astronaut candidate class, he previously served as a backup and closeout crew member for the agency\u2019s Artemis II mission. A Virginia native, Douglas earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and four postgraduate degrees from various institutions, including a doctorate in systems engineering from George Washington University. During his time in the Coast Guard, he conducted search and rescue, maritime salvage, and drug interdiction operations. Additionally, his time at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory involved designing and testing multidomain autonomous vehicles, space exploration systems, and numerous undersea warfare platforms.<\/p>\n
Serving as a backup crew member, Hines will train alongside Bresnik, Parmitano, Rubio, and Douglas. Should a primary crew member be unable to participate in the mission, he would join the Artemis III crew. Hines previously served as pilot of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. Selected by NASA in the 2017 astronaut candidate class, he served as a research pilot at the agency\u2019s Johnson Space Center prior to his selection. He is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force with more than 27 years of service as an instructor pilot, fighter pilot, and test pilot.<\/p>\n
As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, establish an enduring human\u00a0presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.<\/p>\n
Learn more about NASA\u2019s Artemis program:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/artemis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
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Bethany Stevens \/ Amber Jacobson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\nAnna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n \n\n\n\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n - ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano<\/a>, pilot<\/li>\n