During an official presentation at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA announced the names of the four astronauts of the Artemis III mission. The crew will go into Earth orbit in 2027 year, to practice docking with commercial landers and test key systems before the upcoming lunar landing.
Artemis III crew will be led by Randy Breznik, for him, this flight will be the third in his career. Frank Rubio was chosen as other members of the team, Andre Douglas and European Space Agency astronaut from Italy Luca Parmitano. All astronauts with spacewalk and piloting experience, which was a priority during selection for this mission. The mission requires the crew to perform complex operations, which had not previously been practiced within the program.
Initially, Artemis III was supposed to be the first of 1972 manned mission with landing on the moon. In February 2026 2018, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman changed the plan and determined the main task of the crew to be complex training in Earth orbit. The crew in the Orion capsule will dock with lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin. At the same time, the astronauts will check the propulsion systems, life support and communication of these devices, and, perhaps, will test new spacesuits for work on the surface of the moon.
According to Jeremy Parsons, representative of NASA's Research Systems Development Directorate, Artemis III is one of the most difficult missions, which the agency has ever implemented. The first manned landing on the moon is planned in 2028 year.
Source: https://spacenews.com