‘Earth’s first starfleet’: Nasa reveals Artemis III crew and project’s next steps
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- NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced the Artemis III crew and called it “Earth’s first starfleet” at Johnson Space Center.
- Luca Parmitano (ESA) was named pilot of the two‑week low‑Earth‑orbit test flight, which will test lunar landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX.
- Randy Bresnik will serve as mission commander, a former ISS commander and Marine colonel with over 7,000 flight hours.
- Andre Douglas joins as a systems engineer and Coast Guard reserve officer, training alongside Artemis II backup crew.
- Frank Rubio is an army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and flight surgeon, holding the record for the longest single NASA duration spaceflight by a NASA astronaut (371 days).
- Blue Origin senior vice‑president John Couluris acknowledged the May 28 New Glenn launch‑pad explosion but said the rocket will be ready for Artemis III after investigation and cleanup.
- NASA acting deputy associate administrator Jeremy Parsons said the agency is actively supporting partners to resolve the New Glenn anomaly and keep the Artemis III schedule on track.
Why it matters: NASA's Artemis III crew and test flight lock in a concrete timeline for validating Blue Origin’s and SpaceX’s lunar landers, moving the United States closer to a permanent lunar outpost and keeping the 2028 Artemis IV landing on track, while demonstrating the agency’s ability to coordinate multiple international and commercial spacecraft in orbit.
