NASA names Artemis III crew for high-stakes lander test
Jennifer BorresenNASA announced the Artemis III mission's four-person crew Tuesday, June 9, during a live broadcast at 11 a.m. ET from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The crew will travel to Earth orbit in 2027 to test one or both commercial human lunar landers being developed by spaceflight companies SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Artemis missions are focused on expanding knowledge of and establishing a long-term human presence on and around the lunar surface.
Artemis II sent four astronauts around the moon earlier this year without landing. On board were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
When will Artemis III launch?
Artemis III mission will launch no earlier than late 2027. NASA will announce specifics on the Artemis III mission design and crew closer to launch.
The program began with Artemis I, an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft around the moon in 2022.
Who are the four crew members of the Artemis III mission?
NASA confirmed the names of the crew for Artemis III. The four crew members are selected from NASA's active astronaut corps as well as the European Astronaut corps. The crew consists of two mission specialists, a pilot and a commander.
The Artemis II crew was announced in April 2023 three years before its lunar flyby mission in April 2026.
What is the Artemis III mission?
Artemis III will launch the four astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orion spacecraft on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. This mission will test rendezvous and docking between Orion and the commercial Human Landing Systems (HLS) from SpaceX and Blue Origin, which are necessary for delivering astronauts to the lunar surface.
What is NASA's Human Landing System?
The Human Landing System (HLS) is the mode of transportation that will take astronauts to the lunar surface.
For future Artemis missions, the lander will also function as living quarters while astronauts collect samples, conduct experiments and test new technologies on the moon. After their mission, the crew will return to the lander to reunite with their teammates and return to Earth in Orion.
Will Artemis III land on the moon?
No. Artemis III will test the landers in low Earth orbit, but future Artemis missions will send the uncrewed lander to lunar orbit to await astronauts. The Orion spacecraft will transport a crew from Earth to the lander, which will then descend to the moon’s surface. In later missions, crew transfers will occur via NASA’s Gateway lunar space station.
How to watch the Artemis III crew announcement
The crew announcement was streamed live on NASA+ and NASA's YouTube channel Tuesday, June 9, during a live broadcast at 11 a.m. ET from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Photos from Artemis II
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; NASA; SpaceX; Blue Origin