![\"Nasa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/nasa-sticks-by-2027-launch-of-next-mission-despite-blue-origin-rocket-explosion.jpg\")
The Artemis III crew has been named as, from left, Andre Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik and Frank Rubio (Bill Stafford\/Nasa\/AP)<\/p>\nNasa is pressing ahead with the launch of its next mission critical to put people back on the Moon, despite a recent setback when a rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos\u2019s Blue Origin exploded in a fireball.<\/p>\n
The space company founded by the billionaire Amazon businessman has a key role to play from the outset in establishing an outpost on the lunar surface.<\/p>\n
But its main delivery system was the New Glenn rocket, which detonated during an engine-firing test at the end of last month.<\/p>\n
We are working hand in hand with (Blue Origin) to meet our commitments to return our nation to the Moon<\/p>\n
Jeremy Parsons, Nasa<\/p>\n
However, senior Nasa official Jeremy Parsons said \u201csetbacks are a learning opportunity\u201d and Nasa was bringing all its expertise to bear \u201cto help solve the problems that are here today\u201d.<\/p>\n
Blue Origin executive John Couluris also said \u201cexcellent progress\u201d has been made following the \u201csignificant anomaly\u201d on May 28 and stressed the firm\u2019s motivation \u201cto be part of the journey of returning humans to the Moon\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said they would be measured not only by their successes \u201cbut how we respond to setbacks\u201d.<\/p>\n
The pair made their comments as Nasa revealed the astronauts, who would take part in the Artemis III mission, scheduled for launch next year.<\/p>\n
The four crew members will test low Earth orbit docking procedures between the Orion spacecraft and commercial lunar landers, developed by Blue Origin and Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX, that are due to take humans to the surface of the natural satellite in 2028.<\/p>\n
The astronauts were named as Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik from Nasa and Italian Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency.<\/p>\n
The Artemis III crew has been named as, from left, Andre Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik and Frank Rubio (Bill Stafford\/Nasa\/AP)<\/p>\n
Their mission forms part of far-reaching plans to build a moon base that could see people living and working on the lunar surface within six years.<\/p>\n
The pioneering project, which aims to develop the technologies needed for future deep space voyages, including to Mars, will be rolled out in three stages.<\/p>\n
But the Artemis III mission and future moon development relies in part on the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket, named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth.<\/p>\n
Mr Parsons, who is Artemis lead, said: \u201cWe have many partners involved in making Artemis III successful and while we recognise there are questions about how Blue Origin\u2019s recent anomaly impacts our plans, setbacks are a learning opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are confident that New Glenn will be ready for Artemis III, together with Blue Origin, but Nasa is stepping in and bringing all of our expertise and capabilities to bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working hand in hand with them to meet our commitments to return our nation to the Moon.<\/p>\n
![\"Moon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781041389_616_nasa-sticks-by-2027-launch-of-next-mission-despite-blue-origin-rocket-explosion.jpg\")
An artist\u2019s impression of the proposed moon base (Nasa\/PA)<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me assure you, Nasa is taking an active role with all of our partners, contractors, and vendors to help solve the problems that are here today, and ensure the right outcomes are achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Couluris, senior vice president of lunar permanence at Blue Origin, said: \u201cAs you know, we had a significant anomaly at our launch complex 36a on May 28.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe response from Nasa, our partners and customers has been extraordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re making excellent progress on the investigation and pad clean-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll begin rebuilding once clean-up is complete, while continuing construction at launch complex 36b.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cBlue Origin is very motivated to be part of the journey of returning humans to the Moon.<\/p>\n
We are returning to the Moon. A grand adventure back to the lunar surface to build a moon base, and to do so for all of its scientific (and) economic potential and to master the skills for where we will inevitably go next<\/p>\n
Jared Isaacman, Nasa<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve redoubled our efforts and are moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Couluris went on: \u201cThe Moon is the eighth continent, and we will measure ourselves not only by our successes, but how we respond to setbacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
SpaceX vice president Jessica Jensen said: \u201cWe\u2019re incredibly excited to help return humans to the Moon once again, and this time to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Announcing the Artemis III team at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, Nasa boss Jared Isaacman said: \u201cWe are returning to the Moon.<\/p>\n
\u201cA grand adventure back to the lunar surface to build a moon base, and to do so for all of its scientific, its economic potential and to master the skills for where we will inevitably go next.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThe Nasa astronauts, alongside our international partners, and tens of thousands of the best and brightest across the agency and industry, are ushering in the golden age of discovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are carrying, carrying forward the hopes and dreams of the next generation, just as the Apollo astronauts did for so many of us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nasa is pressing ahead with the launch of its next mission critical to put people back on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":491356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[61,60,82],"class_list":["post-491355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/491356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}