Space & Astronomy

NASA has revealed the crew of its upcoming Artemis III mission

By T.K. Randall
June 10, 2026

Image: Artemis III Crew
Credit: Bill Stafford / (PD) NASA Earlier this year, the Artemis II mission achieved what no other space endeavour had done in decades by sending a human crew around the Moon and back to Earth.

Following on from its success, NASA is now preparing for the launch of Artemis III and this week it revealed the four crew members who will be embarking on the mission.

These are NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik (commander), Andre Douglas (mission specialist), Frank Rubio (mission specialist) and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano (pilot).

The mission will involve launching into low-Earth orbit where the crew will demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities with one or both of the lunar human landing systems currently being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.The crew won't be landing on the Moon - that will be the objective of Artemis IV.

"Today we take another bold step in humanity's return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts," said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

"Their achievements reignited global excitement for exploration, and now they pass the torch to the Artemis III team, Randy, Luca, Frank, and Andre."

"Artemis III will demonstrate the power of American innovation and international partnership as we test complex rendezvous and docking operations and advance the technologies that will one day carry us deeper into the solar system."

As things stand, Artemis III is aiming to launch in 2027 followed by Artemis IV in 2028.

Source: NASA.gov

Tags: Artemis, Moon