NASA names 4 astronauts on the ‘highly complex’ Artemis III lunar training mission

NASA has announced the international four-person crew for its upcoming Artemis mission, a key test flight ahead of future human lunar landings.

The mission will be commanded by veteran astronaut Randy Bresnik, with European astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot, and NASA astronauts Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas serving as mission specialists.

Artemis III will focus on testing the Orion spacecraft’s ability to rendezvous and dock with commercially built lunar landers in low-Earth orbit.

The mission is considered highly complex and will help prepare for returning humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972, NPR has reported.

NASA is partnering with private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop the landing systems for future lunar missions.