Nasa names US and Italian astronauts for Artemis III mission

NASA has selected four astronauts for Artemis III, the next mission in its lunar program: Randy Bresnik as commander, Luca Parmitano of the Italian Space Agency as pilot, and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio. The crew will not land on the moon but will test spacecraft docking in low-Earth orbit in mid-2027, a critical step before Artemis IV and V missions attempt lunar landings in 2028. The mission’s schedule now faces uncertainty after Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a test fire at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 28. The blast destroyed the rocket and damaged Blue Origin’s only launch pad, which is needed to send its lunar lander to space. NASA had planned to use New Glenn for Artemis III’s lander transfer tests, but the failure could delay the mission or force reliance on SpaceX’s lander. Blue Origin is working with NASA to assess the failure’s cause and repair the launch pad. CEO Dave Limp stated the company aims to resume flights by year’s end, though experts warn repairs may take months or longer. Historical examples, like SpaceX’s 2016 launch pad explosion and Orbital Sciences’ 2014 failure, show recovery can take over a year. NASA’s Artemis III was originally set for a 2028 lunar landing, the first crewed mission since 1972. The agency had also contracted Blue Origin to use New Glenn for sending rovers to the moon by 2028, but the rocket’s failure threatens both timelines. SpaceX, the other lander developer, faces its own challenges in demonstrating untested capabilities for Artemis III. The crew announcement followed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s promise of an ‘Artemis III confidence update,’ reflecting ongoing evaluations of the mission’s feasibility. NASA and Blue Origin are collaborating to mitigate risks, but the explosion’s impact on the program’s accelerated schedule remains unclear.