NASA names Artemis III crew as mission shifts from Moon landing to orbital test
NASA announced the crew for Artemis III, now a 2027 orbital test mission instead of a Moon landing, to validate Orion’s docking with commercial lunar landers Blue Moon Mark 2 and Starship. The team includes commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, with Bob Hines as backup, marking a critical step before Artemis IV’s planned lunar South Pole landing.
NASA revealed the crew for Artemis III on Tuesday, shifting the mission from a planned Moon landing to a high-stakes orbital test in 2027. The goal is to ensure Orion can safely dock with commercial lunar landers—Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 and SpaceX’s Starship—before astronauts descend to the surface on future missions. Commander Randy Bresnik, a retired Marine colonel and veteran of two spaceflights, will lead the mission. Bresnik has over 7,000 flight hours across 95 aircraft types and extensive experience with Artemis spacecraft development. European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, an Italian Air Force colonel and former ISS commander, will serve as pilot, marking the first ESA astronaut assigned to Artemis. Mission specialist Frank Rubio brings unmatched experience, having spent 371 days in orbit—the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut—while also serving as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot and physician. Andre Douglas, a first-time spaceflier, will join as the fourth crew member, having previously worked on robotics and exploration systems. Bob Hines, who piloted SpaceX Crew-4 to the ISS, is named backup. During the mission, Orion will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket into low Earth orbit, where the crew will test docking procedures with the lander systems. After two weeks, Orion will return the crew to Earth for a Pacific Ocean splashdown. Artemis III remains pivotal, serving as a critical systems check before Artemis IV targets the lunar South Pole.
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