NASA Just Named the Artemis III Crew-Here's Who's Flying on One of the Most Complex Missions in History
The Artemis III mission is a go. And now we know the four-person crew who will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and fly the Orion into low Earth orbit.
While it was originally publicized as the first lunar landing since 1972, NASA later announced that the 2027 Artemis III mission would not go to the Moon. Instead, the crew will test the spacecraft's ability to rendezvous and dock with one or both lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin.
In May, Jeremy Parsons, Moon to Mars acting assistant deputy administrator, NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate in Washington, said, "While this is a mission to Earth orbit, it is an important stepping stone to successfully landing on the Moon with Artemis IV. Artemis III is one of the most highly complex missions NASA has undertaken."
Parsons continued, "For the first time, NASA will coordinate a launch campaign involving multiple spacecraft integrating new capabilities into Artemis operations."
He added, "We're integrating more partners and interrelated operations into this mission by design, which will help us learn how Orion, the crew, and the ground teams all interact together with hardware and teams from both lander providers before we send astronauts to the Moon's surface and build a Moon Base there."
NASA announced the Artemis III crew on Tuesday morning. And they are…
NASA's Artemis III Crew
Commander Randy Bresnik
The Citadel graduate has a degree in mathematics and is a retired U.S. Marine colonel. With over 7,000 hours across 95 types of aircraft, Randy Bresnik is an experienced astronaut with a long resume as a pilot.
Bresnik has already flown on two space missions, including the space shuttle Atlantis and the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. As the assistant to the chief of the Astronaut Office for exploration, he has already worked on developing the systems the crew will use during the next Artemis missions.
Pilot Luca Parmitano
The upcoming mission is Italian Space Agency engineer Luca Parmitano's third time in space. The pilot has a master's degree in experimental flight test engineering and is a graduate of the Italian Air Force Academy.
Mission Specialist Andre Douglas
Andre Douglas is a name you may have already heard of in connection with the Artemis missions. He recently served as a backup member for the Artemis II crew.
Douglas has a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a doctorate in systems engineering from George Washington University.
Mission Specialist Frank Rubio
The U.S. Military Academy graduate has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He also has a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Frank Rubio served in the U.S. Army for over 28 years as a physician, aviator, and astronaut.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 9:54 AM.