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NASA names the Artemis III crew for a 2027 Earth-orbit docking test
NASA named the four-person crew for Artemis III, a crewed test in low Earth orbit rather than a lunar landing. The mission is planned to launch on SLS with Orion and test docking with lander pathfinders from Blue Origin and SpaceX.
- The crew is Randy Bresnik (commander), Luca Parmitano of ESA (pilot), and Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio (mission specialists); Bob Hines is backup.
- Orion would dock with Blue Origin's lander pathfinder for about two days, then meet SpaceX's Starship pathfinder for about one day of checkouts.
- The mission would last about two weeks and end with a Pacific splashdown; NASA gives no launch date, only 'in 2027'.