German astronauts Gerst and Maurer eye 2028 Moon flight after Artemis 3 exclusion

Astronauts Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer announced that they will not fly on NASA’s Artemis 3 mission, which is scheduled for 2027 without any German crew members. The Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano will be the first European on Artemis 3. Gerst and Maurer said they remain confident about reaching the Moon and are targeting a flight in the 2028 window, likely on Artemis 4 or Artemis 5, once ESA’s director Josef Aschbacher makes a final decision. Both astronauts point to their extensive experience – Gerst with two ISS missions (2014, 2018) and Maurer with a 2021 ISS stay – as preparation for future lunar landings. ESA continues to provide hardware for NASA’s program while the agency’s leadership stresses that the overall schedule remains on track.