<\/p>\n
From left, NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and NASA astronaut Andre Douglas are introduced as the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik waves to the crowd after being announced as a member of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
NASA astronaut Andre Douglas waves to the crowd after being announced as a member of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio waves to the crowd after being announced as a member of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano waves to the crowd after being announced as a member of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
From left, NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and NASA astronaut Andre Douglas are introduced as the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
NASA astronaut Andre Douglas speaks after being announced as a member of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Vanessa E. Wyche, director of NASA Johnson Space Center, speaks during an event announcing the Artemis III crew in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Attendees cheer as the Artemis III crew is introduced during an event at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Attendees wait for the announcement of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The mission will orbit Earth and test systems, including spacesuits and lunar landers, needed for future missions to the moon.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano shakes hands with leadership after being announced as a member of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano speaks after being announced as a member of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik speaks after being announced as a member of the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Members of the Artemis II and Artemis III crews greet one another on stage during an event announcing the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Members of the Artemis II and Artemis III crews greet one another on stage during an event announcing the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Members of the Artemis II and Artemis III crews greet one another on stage during an event announcing the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
NASA has unveiled the four astronauts who will\u00a0fly on Artemis III<\/a>: Americans Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas and Italian Luca Parmitano.<\/p>\n Bresnik will be the mission\u2019s commander. Parmitano, with the European Space Agency, will be the pilot. Rubio and Douglas will be mission specialists.<\/p>\n ARTEMIS: What’s next for the Artemis program? When NASA could return to the moon \u2014 and its race with China<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Children dressed as astronauts cheer during an event announcing the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n Their Artemis III mission, set to launch in 2027, will be demanding as NASA, Blue Origin and SpaceX seek to coordinate their separate rocket launches and spacecraft operations.<\/p>\n \u201cThis mission will be one of the most complex that NASA has undertaken,\u201d Norm Knight, director of NASA\u2019s Flight Operations Directorate, said during a NASA event.<\/p>\n Artemis III is part of NASA\u2019s effort to return humans to the moon. But this crew won\u2019t actually go there or land on the lunar surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The astronauts unveiled Tuesday at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston will spend two weeks in low-Earth orbit, where NASA is planning to dock the agency\u2019s Orion spacecraft with the Human Landing Systems being built by Blue Origin and\u00a0SpaceX<\/a>.<\/p>\n Testing the\u00a0landers in Earth\u2019s orbit on Artemis III will reduce risks for NASA\u2019s next mission, Artemis IV, where astronauts will transfer from Orion into one of these commercially owned and operated spacecraft to reach the lunar surface. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single mission we will do after this will be more challenging and more complex,\u201d\u00a0Bresnik said during NASA\u2019s event. \u201cWe are certainly humbled, as a crew, to be able to be your crew that executes this Artemis III mission in space \u2014 being that unifying link between the phenomenal Artemis II mission we just had two months ago and the Artemis IV mission that will follow ours.\u201d<\/p>\n Houston is NASA\u2019s home for human spaceflight. It leads development of NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft and is working on various parts of the Human Landing Systems, including the crew cabin, personal computing devices and a toilet for Blue Origin.<\/p>\n And all of NASA\u2019s astronauts live and work in Space City.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Bresnik, a test pilot and retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, has been to space twice: once in NASA\u2019s space shuttle and once in Russia\u2019s Soyuz capsule. He has logged more than 7,000 flight hours in 95 types of aircraft. Selected for astronaut training in 2004, Bresnik has more than 32 hours of spacewalk experience and spent the past several years assisting with the development and testing of Artemis spacecraft and systems.<\/p>\n Parmitano, a test pilot and Italian Air Force colonel, has flown to space twice in the Soyuz spacecraft. One of his spacewalks from the International Space Station turned dangerous as Parmitano\u2019s helmet began filling with water<\/a>, at one point covering his ears, eyes and nose. He has logged more than 2,000 flight hours across 40 types of aircraft and was selected as a European Space Agency astronaut in 2009.<\/p>\n From left, NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and NASA astronaut Andre Douglas are introduced as the Artemis III crew at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n Rubio, an Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and family medicine physician, has flown to space once on Soyuz and holds NASA\u2019s record for longest single spaceflight<\/a> with 371 days in orbit. He was selected for astronaut training in 2017 and has spent more than 21 hours in spacewalks.<\/p>\n Douglas, a test engineer and Coast Guard Reserve commander, was the backup crew member for Artemis II. This mission will be his first spaceflight. He was selected for astronaut training in 2021.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n NASA astronaut Bob Hines, who previously flew on a\u00a0SpaceX dragon capsule, will be the Artemis III backup crew member.<\/p>\n The crew learned they were selected for this mission about two weeks ago. They were called into a room and told they\u2019d be flying together on Artemis III.\u00a0Rubio said they were asked to keep it a secret from everyone but their immediate families. He said it was tough pretending like he wasn\u2019t on the crew when his colleagues began speculating.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really hard to keep that secret,\u201d\u00a0Rubio said in an interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n His first flight was a record-setting marathon on the International Space Station. This mission will be a sprint.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt really is hard to go 100% every day for more than two or three days,\u201d\u00a0Rubio said. \u201cA mission like this is going to require us to be in the 95 to 100 range for about 15 days, I would say. So mentally preparing for that, emotionally preparing for that, and just focusing and being able to block out everything else and focus on nothing else but mission success.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Artemis III was previously expected to return humans to the lunar surface in 2028. But NASA Administrator Jared\u00a0Isaacman changed the profile earlier this year<\/a> so NASA could gain more experience with its Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft \u2014 launching them more frequently to build muscle memory \u2014 and test the Blue Origin and SpaceX landers closer to home.<\/p>\n MOON BASE: Texas companies win and lose NASA contracts as the agency pushes toward a moon base<\/a><\/p>\n Blue Origin plans to launch its Blue Moon\u00a0lander atop the company\u2019s New Glenn rocket. For Artemis III, it will launch ahead of NASA\u2019s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, and Orion will meet the lander in Earth\u2019s orbit. The crew will open the hatch and move inside Blue Moon to test the lander and its life support systems.<\/p>\n John\u00a0Couluris, Blue Origin\u2019s senior vice president of lunar permanence, said the rocket and lander would be ready for Artemis III \u2014 despite its New Glenn rocket exploding<\/a> on the launch pad last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n Steve\u00a0Creech, NASA\u2019s Human Landing System acting program manager, said the agency is assuming New Glenn will push the Blue Moon lander into space, but it\u2019s also developing contingencies where the lander could launch atop another company\u2019s rocket.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s too early to really know for sure how quickly Blue will bounce back,\u201d\u00a0Creech said in an interview, \u201cso we’re always working contingency scenarios.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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