Artemis III Crew Announced, NASA Focuses on Earth Orbit Rendezvous Testing?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has officially introduced the crew for the Artemis III mission on June 9, 2026, at a press event at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

This mission is a crucial step in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon.

However, the focus of the Artemis III mission has been revised, from the first human landing on the Moon since the Apollo era to a series of tests in low Earth orbit (LEO).

Four prime astronauts and one backup astronaut have been selected for the mission, which is targeted for launch in late 2027.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized that the mission's success depends heavily on the readiness of both landing system providers.

“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.

The Artemis III mission commander is Randy Bresnik of NASA, a 58-year-old astronaut former Marine fighter pilot.

Bresnik has spent 149 days in space, including a space shuttle flight in 2009 and a long stay on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017.

He is the oldest Artemis III crew member and the only one to have participated on a space shuttle mission.

The pilot position will be held by Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency (ESA).

Parmitano, 49, is a veteran of two long stays on the ISS and was the first Italian commander on the ISS in 2019.

He is the only non-US astronaut on this mission, marking the first time an ESA astronaut has been assigned a seat on an Artemis mission.

Andre Douglas, a 40-year-old engineer from NASA, will serve as mission specialist.

Another mission specialist is NASA's Frank Rubio, a 49-year-old Salvadoran-American physician and former US Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot.

Rubio holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a US astronaut, with 371 days, spent aboard the ISS in 2022-2023.

Bob Hines who previously served as pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station, has been designated as a backup crew member.

Although Artemis III was originally planned as the first human lunar landing mission since the Apollo era, the plan was revised in February 2026.

The revised Artemis III mission will now focus on testing rendezvous and docking procedures in low Earth orbit.

The crew will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and a test version of the commercial human landing system (HLS) being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.

The mission will involve the launch of three rockets: one carrying the Orion crew, and two others carrying lunar lander models from Blue Origin and SpaceX.

Orion will then practice rendezvous procedures with each of the two landers.

This testing is crucial to mitigate risks and prepare for future lunar landing missions, particularly Artemis IV, which is planned for the first crewed landing on the Moon's South Pole in 2028.

The Artemis III mission is targeted for launch in late 2027.

This crew announcement comes after the Artemis II mission successfully circled the Moon in April 2026.

"As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars," NASA said on its website.