NASA on Tuesday revealed the crew for its Artemis III mission, the next step in the space agency's plan to eventually land astronauts on the moon. The announcement came two months after Artemis II's record-breaking trip around the moon, which surpassed the distance record of Apollo 13.
Crew Members and Mission Objectives
NASA's Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas, along with the European Space Agency's Luca Parmitano, will not fly to the moon or land on its surface. Instead, they will orbit Earth while practicing docking their Orion capsule with two lunar landers. This two-week demonstration is targeted for 2027.
"To the Artemis III crew, we wish you Godspeed on the journey ahead," said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
Lunar Lander Development
Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin are racing to deliver the lunar landers. Blue Origin recently faced a setback when its massive rocket exploded during an engine-firing test on the launch pad in Florida, shaking nearby homes and illuminating the sky with an orange fireball. NASA's Jeremy Parsons described the setback as a learning opportunity and expressed confidence that Blue Origin's rocket will be ready in time.
Artemis Program Goals
NASA's Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the moon's surface for the first time since the 1970s. A recent revamp of the program announced by Isaacman aims to fast-track it similarly to the Apollo era, adding the upcoming spaceflight around Earth before eyeing a lunar landing in 2028.
"We are certainly humbled as a crew to be able to be your crew that executes this Artemis III mission in space," said Bresnik, Artemis III commander. Mission specialist Douglas added: "My brain — it is going a mile a minute right now. But my heart, it is so warm. It is so full."
Future Moon Base and Mars Expedition
In May, NASA awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four companies, including Blue Origin, to build landers, rovers, and drones for a future moon base. Isaacman stated that the goal of the moon base is to lay the foundation for a Mars expedition.
