On Tuesday, June 9th, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the crew members for the “Artemis III” mission, with three American astronauts and one Italian astronaut. This marks another significant step forward in one of the most complex manned spaceflight missions in recent history.
The “Artemis III” mission will conduct a series of challenging tests in Earth’s orbit in 2027, crucial for the successful execution of the planned 2028 manned moon mission, “Artemis IV”.
According to a press release from NASA, the “Artemis III” mission will send astronauts into low Earth orbit and for the first time demonstrate the rendezvous and docking of the Orion spacecraft with test versions of lunar landing systems developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced during a ceremony in Houston on Tuesday that the four crew members for the “Artemis III” mission are NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, and European Space Agency’s Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano. NASA astronaut Bob Hines has been appointed as a backup crew member.
This is also the first time a European Space Agency astronaut has been assigned to an “Artemis” mission.
The astronauts will immediately begin training on the Orion spacecraft system and provide assistance during the testing of lunar landing modules developed and operated by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
“Today, we take another bold step towards humanity’s return to the Moon, building upon the extraordinary foundation laid by the crew of ‘Artemis II’,” said NASA Administrator Isaacman at the event on Tuesday. “Their achievements have reignited global passion for space exploration, and now they pass the torch to the ‘Artemis III’ team.”
While the two-week “Artemis III” mission will not approach the Moon, it is considered a significant first flight test for the lunar lander, a crucial step before NASA embarks on the manned moon mission, “Artemis IV”.
NASA and its partners are steadily progressing in preparation for this test flight mission. Engineers plan to complete the connection between the crew and service modules of the Orion spacecraft this summer, as well as integrate the spacecraft’s docking system.