NASA names Artemis III crew. Here's who they are, where they're from

• NASA has announced the four male astronauts for its Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027.
• The crew includes three NASA astronauts and one from the European Space Agency.
• Artemis III will not land on the moon but will test docking with commercial lunar landers in Earth orbit.
• The mission is a critical step toward returning humans to the lunar surface by 2028.

Within the next year, four astronauts are due to venture to space on NASA's next mission under its Artemis moon program.

Those astronauts, revealed June 9 at NASA's Johnson Space Center to much fanfare, include three from NASA and one Italian who will become the first spacefarer from the European Space Agency to fly on an Artemis mission.

Just like the Artemis II mission that captivated the world in April, the mission known as Artemis III will not include a moon landing. But just like Artemis II, the endeavor – set for 2027 – will serve as a critical test flight to ensure NASA is ready to put boots back on the lunar surface as early as 2028 for the first time in more than 50 years.

The Artemis III crew includes a first-time flier and three veterans of spaceflight, including a record-setting NASA astronaut.

Here's a closer look at the four astronauts, all men, named to the Artemis III crew.

Commander Randy Bresnik, NASA astronaut

• Hometown: Born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, Bresnik considers Santa Monica, California, to be his hometown.
• Age: 58
• Personal: Bresnik is married with a son and a daughter.
• Background: Bresnik is a retired Marine colonel and test pilot who flew combat missions in Kuwait.
• Years as NASA astronaut: Bresnik was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004.
• Spaceflight experience: Bresnik has been to space twice, first in 2009 as part of a 10-day shuttle flight to the International Space Station, and again in 2017, during which he was at the ISS for 139 days.
• Notable quote: “Spaceflight is hard, and that’s why the most important Artemis mission will always be the next Artemis mission," Bresnik said during the news conference. “Every single mission we do after this will be more challenging and more complex."

Pilot Luca Parmitano, European Space Agency astronaut

• Hometown: Catania, located on the east coast of Sicily in Italy
• Age: 49
• Personal: Parmitano is married with two daughters.
• Background: Parmitano is a colonel and aviator with the Italian Air Force.
• Years as ESA astronaut: The European Space Agency selected Parmitano as an astronaut in 2009.
• Spaceflight experience: Parmitano has been to space twice, first for 166 days in 2011 as part of the Italian Space Agency's first long-duration mission on the International Space Station. He returned to the ISS between July 2019 and February 2020.
• Notable quote: “I am honored by the role that I’ve been given," Parmitano said at the news conference. "I’m also very humbled by the task in front of us, but first and foremost I’m grateful."

Mission specialist Frank Rubio, NASA astronaut

• Hometown: Born in Los Angeles, California, Rubio considers Miami, Florida, his hometown
• Age: 50
• Personal: Rubio is married with four children.
• Background: A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Rubio has a doctorate in medicine and served in the Army as an aviator and a physician for more than 28 years. He has flown combat missions during deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
• Years as NASA astronaut: Rubio was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017.
• Spaceflight experience: Rubio has been to space once on a mission to the International Space Station that between 2022 and 2023 stretched to an unplanned 371 days when issues with the crew's spacecraft prompted Russia to send a replacement Soyuz capsule. As a result, Rubio holds the record for the American with the longest single spaceflight.
• Notable quote: “What an incredible blessing and an honor it is to be standing here representing all of you," Rubio said during the news conference.

Mission specialist Andre Douglas, NASA astronaut

• Hometown: Born in Miami, Florida, Douglas was raised in Chesapeake, Virginia.
• Age: 40
• Personal: Douglas is married with two sons.
• Background: Douglas earned a doctorate in systems engineering from the George Washington University and previously served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
• Years as NASA astronaut: Douglas was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021.
• Spaceflight experience: Douglas has not yet been to space, but he served as a backup crew member for the Artemis II mission.
• Notable quote: “This mission is going to be fantastic, what an excellent crew, very proud to serve with these gentlemen,” Douglas said during the news conference. “Go Artemis, go NASA.”

What is the Artemis III mission?

Targeted for 2027, Artemis III will be the third mission under NASA's new lunar program and the second with a crew.

The primary objective during Artemis III is for astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft to meet and dock in low-Earth orbit – the same region where the International Space Station operates – with both commercial lunar landers being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.

The astronauts will hitch a ride to space in NASA's Orion spacecraft atop the agency's towering Space Launch System rocket, which would launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The commercial landers – SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS) and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 – would reach orbit via separate rocket launches, with SpaceX using its Starship Super Heavy booster, and Blue Origin planning to use its New Glenn.

The astronauts aboard Orion would then subsequently rendezvous and dock with each lander – beginning with the Blue Moon, which they also plan to enter, and then the Starship HLS, which they may or may not enter. The trip would conclude with a water landing in the Pacific Ocean near California.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]