NASA Announces Artemis III Crew for 2027 Lunar Test Mission

NASA revealed the crew for Artemis III, a 2027 Earth‑orbit test flight that will support the planned Artemis IV landing at the Moon’s south pole in 2028. The four prime astronauts are commander Randy Bresnik, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano – the first European to be assigned to an Artemis mission – and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio. Bob Hines was named as the backup crew member.

The mission will launch on the Space Launch System from Kennedy Space Center, place Orion in low Earth orbit and demonstrate rendezvous and docking with prototype lunar landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the flight “takes another bold step in humanity’s return to the Moon,” while ESA chief Josef Aschbacher called Europe’s participation “a historic step.” The crew is expected to spend about two weeks in space, testing integrated hardware, software and communications systems for future lunar operations.