HOUSTON, June 10 (ANI) — NASA on Tuesday released new details about the Artemis III mission and announced the four primary crew members and one backup astronaut for the test flight.
According to NASA, the mission will conduct a series of complex tests in Earth orbit in 2027 that are essential to preparing for Artemis IV, the first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole in 2028.
The crew will consist of NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik as commander, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas as mission specialist, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio as mission specialist.
NASA astronaut Bob Hines has been designated as the backup crew member.
NASA said the crew will begin training immediately on Orion spacecraft systems and will also assist in the development and operational testing of lunar landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
During Artemis III, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida into low Earth orbit. Following Orion system checkouts, the spacecraft will, for the first time, demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities with test versions of one or both commercial human landing systems currently being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
The mission will involve a multi-launch campaign featuring some of the world’s most powerful rockets and will test integrated hardware between Orion and the landers, including system interfaces, software, propulsion systems, and communications technologies.
“Today we take another bold step in humanity’s return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
“Their achievements reignited global excitement for exploration, and now they pass the torch to the Artemis III team, Randy, Luca, Frank, and Andre,” he added.
“The Artemis III astronauts, alongside ESA and our international partners, and the tens of thousands of the best and brightest across the agency and industry, are ushering in a new Golden Age of exploration, carrying forward the hopes and dreams of the next generation just as the Apollo astronauts did for so many of us,” Isaacman said.
The announcement marks the first time an ESA astronaut has been assigned to an Artemis mission.
NASA said Artemis III builds on the successful Artemis II flight completed in April and will help prepare the agency for future missions that aim to send astronauts to Mars.
Under the mission plan, Blue Origin’s lander pathfinder, designed to remain in orbit for several weeks, will launch first and await the arrival of the crew. NASA will then launch the astronauts aboard Orion using the SLS rocket, after which the spacecraft will rendezvous and dock with Blue Origin’s test lander in Earth orbit.
The crew is expected to spend about two days docked with the lander conducting tests and technology demonstrations, including entering the vehicle and evaluating operational systems.
After completing those activities, Orion will undock and await the arrival of SpaceX’s Starship pathfinder. The Starship vehicle will then launch and rendezvous with Orion, where the two spacecraft will remain connected for approximately one day while crews conduct additional testing and system evaluations.
Following completion of the docking exercises, Orion and its crew will return to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, where personnel from NASA and the US Navy will recover the astronauts.
NASA said the crew is expected to spend approximately two weeks in space, although the final mission duration will depend on launch schedules, rendezvous operations, and testing requirements. (ANI)
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