NASA picked its next Artemis crew. Heres what theyll do.
NASA has named four astronauts to the next Artemis mission that will practice new maneuvers in space — crucial demonstrations of hardware intended to return humans to the moon 's surface. U.S. astronauts Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio , and Commander Randy Bresnik will lead the Artemis III mission, along with European Space Agency pilot Luca Parmitano. The mission is expected to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as early as mid-2027. Just since February, NASA has rebuilt the Artemis III mission plan from the ground up, after a sharp course change in the moon program early this year. The space agency, under NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, now treats the flight as a fast‑tracked test in Earth orbit, rather than the United States' triumphant return to the lunar surface. The revamped mission serves as a high-stakes dress rehearsal that aims to prove NASA and its partners can connect the Orion spacecraft and landers together in space. For the first time, NASA will coo...