HOUSTON — NASA on Tuesday announced the four astronauts who will fly on the Artemis III mission, a key test flight scheduled for 2027 that will practice rendezvous and docking with commercial lunar landers in Earth orbit, agency officials said.
The crew consists of NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik as commander, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot, and NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as mission specialists. NASA astronaut Bob Hines was named as the backup crew member.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson made the announcement at the agency’s Johnson Space Center. Artemis III builds on the Artemis II lunar flyby completed earlier in 2026 and aims to validate critical capabilities needed for future crewed landings on the Moon.
The mission will launch four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In low Earth orbit, the crew will conduct docking operations with test versions of lunar landers developed by commercial partners SpaceX and Blue Origin.
“Artemis III represents an important step in our preparation for sustainable lunar exploration,” Nelson said during the event. “This crew brings a wealth of experience that will help us test the systems and procedures essential for returning humans to the lunar surface.”
Bresnik, a veteran of two previous spaceflights including long-duration missions on the International Space Station, will lead the crew. Parmitano, an experienced ESA astronaut, has conducted multiple spacewalks. Rubio holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut at 371 days, while Douglas is a first-time flyer with a background in engineering.
The mission profile has been adjusted from earlier plans to focus on orbital testing rather than an immediate lunar landing, officials said. This approach is intended to reduce technical risks ahead of the Artemis IV surface mission targeted for 2028.
International partners, including ESA, continue to play a significant role in the Artemis program. The announcement comes as NASA advances development of the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and associated ground systems.
Crew training is expected to intensify in the coming months. No specific launch date has been set beyond the 2027 target window. Details regarding mission duration and exact objectives remain subject to further refinement as development progresses.
The Artemis program aims to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon, with eventual goals of preparing for crewed missions to Mars. Officials reported that preparations for Artemis III are proceeding according to the updated timeline.
