NASA announces international crew for Artemis III test flight

NASA revealed the four‑person crew for the Artemis III mission, an Earth‑orbit test of the Orion spacecraft before a planned lunar landing. The crew includes ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano of Italy as pilot, NASA landing specialist Andre Douglas, veteran astronaut Randy Bresnik as commander, and Frank Rubio, a medical flight surgeon of Salvadoran descent. The announcement was made by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at the Johnson Space Center, with representatives from Blue Origin and SpaceX present. Artemis III will launch on the Space Launch System from Kennedy Space Center and will dock Orion with prototype lunar landers from both commercial partners, testing critical systems and procedures. ESA will also provide the European Service Module for the flight. The mission, lasting about two weeks, aims to validate docking, life‑support, and other technologies to reduce risks for future lunar missions, with Artemis IV slated for 2028 to return astronauts to the Moon's surface.