NASA administrator Jared Isaacman described the effort as the start of “Earth’s first starfleet” while announcing the Artemis III crew and outlining the next phases of the agency’s return-to-the-moon program. European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano will serve as pilot for a two-week test flight in low Earth orbit scheduled for next year. The mission will evaluate lunar landers developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. The remaining crew members are Americans Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik, forming an all-male team of four that will prepare for the first crewed lunar landing in more than five decades during Artemis IV in 2028. Isaacman addressed the astronauts at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, wishing them success and noting they carry the legacy of exploration, agency confidence, national support and public hopes. He also detailed the rockets, capsules, landers and support vehicles required for the test flight, construction of a permanent lunar base and later missions. The list included spacecraft from multiple nations, such as Dragon, Shenzhou, Soyuz, Starliner, Starship and Blue Origin landers. Unlike the Artemis II crew that circled the moon in April, the Artemis III team will stay near Earth to practice docking and life-support systems for the competing landers. Blue Origin executive John Couluris addressed the May explosion of the New Glenn rocket but expressed confidence that repairs will allow the vehicle to fly next year. NASA official Jeremy Parsons echoed that optimism, stating the agency is assisting partners to meet lunar return goals. The largest applause came when the four Artemis III astronauts and backup crew member Bob Hines were introduced. Mission commander Bresnik is a Marine colonel and former space station commander with extensive flight experience. Parmitano, an Italian fighter pilot, survived a 2013 spacesuit malfunction. Rubio holds the NASA record for longest single spaceflight. Douglas, a systems engineer and Coast Guard officer, previously trained as backup for Artemis II. Isaacman concluded that NASA and its partners are entering a new era of discovery.
