NASA names Artemis III crew for 2027 tests with Blue Origin and SpaceX
NASA named Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas to fly Artemis III, planned for 2027 in low Earth orbit. The crew will test Orion’s rendezvous and docking with test vehicles from Blue Origin and SpaceX, preparing for Artemis IV, which NASA expects to land astronauts on the Moon in early 2028.
Bottom line — ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano will pilot Artemis III, the first Artemis mission to include an astronaut selected from Europe’s space agency.
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NASA named Bob Hines as the backup crew member.
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NASA plans to dock Orion with both companies’ test vehicles; the crew is expected to enter Blue Origin’s vehicle, but remain aboard Orion during the SpaceX test.
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The mission is expected to last about two weeks, with Orion returning to Earth for a Pacific Ocean splashdown.
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NASA says Artemis III will use an updated heat shield, a new docking system and improved communications technology.
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WIRED’s interview with Artemis III scientist Barbara Cohen says the crew will expose clean witness materials to the cabin to study how people affect the environment around lunar samples.
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Cohen says the Artemis missions are exploration missions, not science missions, though teams will pursue scientific opportunities they make possible.