NASA has announced the four astronauts who will be part of the Artemis III mission. The flight is scheduled for 2027 and involves tests in low Earth orbit in preparation for the next Artemis IV lunar mission.
The crew is listed on the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration website.
The team includes commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio.
Randy Bresnik is a U.S. Marine and fighter pilot. The upcoming flight will be his third space mission. Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency will be the first European to join the Artemis lunar program. It will also be his third space flight.
Andre Douglas holds a doctorate in systems engineering and master's degrees in four majors. While serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, he participated in search and rescue operations and the fight against drug trafficking. Douglas previously served as a reserve crew member on Artemis II, and Artemis III will be his first space flight.
Frank Rubio is a physician by profession. He served in the U.S. Army as a pilot and medic for more than 28 years, before becoming an astronaut. In 2023, Rubio set a record among American astronauts for the duration of continuous stay in orbit - 371 days. The upcoming mission will be his second.
Bob Hines has been appointed as a reserve crew member. The US Air Force colonel with 27 years of service will undergo training with the main team and will be able to replace any of the mission participants if necessary.
What are the tasks set for the Artemis III mission
During Artemis III, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is to launch the Orion spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida into low Earth orbit. After checking the systems, the ship will first practice approaching and docking with test versions of American commercial human landing systems being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
NASA notes that the results of the mission should prepare the program for Artemis IV - the first planned manned expedition to the south pole of the Moon, which is currently planned for 2028.
How NASA's previous mission ended
The program's previous mission, Artemis II, launched on the night of April 2 from the Kennedy Space Center. Its crew included Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. The flight was intended to test the rocket and spacecraft for future lunar missions.
On April 3, the Artemis II crew set off towards the Moon. On April 6, the astronauts reached the lunar gravity field and set a record for the distance a human had traveled from Earth - 406,764 kilometers. On April 11, the mission ended with a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
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