NASA names Artemis III crew with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot

NASA announced the four‑person crew for the Artemis III lunar mission. Commander Randy Bresnik, a former U.S. Marine Corps test pilot, will lead the mission, while Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency will serve as pilot – the first ESA astronaut assigned to an Artemis flight. Mission specialists Andre Douglas, a U.S. Coast Guard reservist, and Frank Rubio, a U.S. Army flight surgeon, complete the primary crew, with Bob Hines named as a backup astronaut.

Artemis III is slated for a 2027 launch from Kennedy Space Center aboard the Orion spacecraft on the SLS rocket. The mission will test complex orbital maneuvers, including docking with two lunar landers under development by SpaceX and Blue Origin, as a rehearsal for a future Moon landing. Luca Parmitano, who previously experienced a near‑drowning during a 2013 EVA, highlighted the crew’s extensive spaceflight experience. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman described Artemis III as a pivotal step toward sustained human presence on the Moon and deeper solar‑system exploration.