NASA selects retired Marine colonel Randy Bresnik to lead Artemis III lunar mission

NASA’s Artemis III mission, the next step after the crewed Artemis II flight, is planned to return astronauts to the lunar surface near the Moon’s south pole. The mission aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon and to test technologies for a sustained presence, including in‑situ resource utilization and habitat concepts.

The crew announced on 9 June 2026 will be commanded by retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Randy Bresnik, with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot and NASA mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas. Bresnik previously flew on two Shuttle missions and spent a year on the International Space Station. The flight will launch on a Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion crew capsule, rendezvous with a commercial lunar lander in Earth orbit, and then travel to the Moon for a short surface stay before returning to Earth via the Pacific Ocean.

Artemis III relies on a chain of hardware – SLS, Orion, a commercial lander, and a refueling architecture – and involves U.S. government agencies, private‑sector partners, and international contributors such as the European Space Agency. Schedule adjustments made in early 2024 emphasized life‑support testing and safety reviews, with the launch window expected after Artemis II’s successful lunar‑orbit mission in 2026.