NASA announces Artemis III astronauts in next phase of mission to return humans to the moon

NASA announced the names of the four astronauts who will participate in the Artemis III mission into low Earth orbit to complete necessary tests for the next phase of the Artemis program. 

Commander, Randy Bresnik, Pilot Luca Parmitano and Mission Specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio will be the four astronauts heading back into space aboard the Orion spacecraft. 

NASA made the announcement at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday morning. 

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The space administration also announced the backup crew member: Bob Hines. 

In February, NASA said Artemis III, which was originally planned to be the first lunar landing mission, would change to a mission to carry four astronauts into low Earth orbit to conduct tests on the rendezvous and docking capabilities between the agency’s Orion spacecraft and commercial lunar landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX. 

The mission will launch in 2027 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will launch the Orion spacecraft with the four astronauts inside into space. 

The core stage of the rocket is already at Kennedy Space Center, having arrived in late April, where it continues to undergo work to prepare for Artemis III in 2027. 

Jeremy Parsons, NASA's Moon to Mars Program administrator, said the Orion spacecraft will spend roughly two days docked with the Blue Origin lander, with the crew crossing the hatch into the lander and operating several tests. 

Orion will detach and await SpaceX's Starship, which will dock with Orion for about a day before the crew prepares for the return back to Earth, Parsons said. 

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NASA said the mission will last around two weeks.