Artemis III astronaut reveal: Landmark photos of NASA’s next crew heading toward lunar exploration

NASA has named four astronauts for the Artemis III mission, the next major step in its plan to send humans back to the Moon. The announcement came after the successful Artemis II mission, which flew around the Moon and traveled farther from Earth than the crew of the Apollo 13 mission.

The Artemis III crew includes Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and European astronaut Luca Parmitano. They will not travel to the Moon or land on its surface. Instead, they will stay in Earth orbit and practice important tasks, such as docking NASA’s Orion spacecraft with prototype commercial lunar landers. These tests will help NASA prepare for future Moon landing missions under the Artemis program.

In this image, the Artemis III crew —Andre Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio (left to right)— posed for an official portrait.

This image shows the four astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis III mission standing together at the conclusion of the crew reveal event at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on June 9, 2026. Pictured from left to right are Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano of Italy representing the European Space Agency, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas. NASA announced the crew for the mission, which is scheduled for 2027. According to the information provided, Artemis III will remain in low Earth orbit and focus on demonstrating spacecraft docking capabilities as part of the Artemis program.

The Artemis III crew will practice docking with prototype lunar landers in preparation for future lunar missions traveling to the Moon. Their mission will help pave the way for Artemis IV, which is scheduled for 2028 and aims to return American astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, ending a 56-year gap in human Moon landings.

This image shows astronaut Andre Douglas holding a ceremonial torch received from the Artemis II crew during the Artemis III crew reveal event at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on June 9, 2026.

Artemis III will launch aboard NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, although an exact launch date has not yet been announced. The four astronauts will travel in the Orion spacecraft, the same capsule used during the Artemis II mission in April 2026. While Artemis II flew around the Moon, Artemis III will instead remain in low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 290 miles (467 kilometers), where the crew will conduct docking demonstrations with prototype lunar landers as part of preparations for future Moon missions.

This image shows astronaut Frank Rubio greeting fellow crew members and directors during the Artemis III crew reveal event at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

This image shows astronaut Randy Bresnik speaking to audience members during the Artemis III crew reveal event at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on June 9, 2026. Standing alongside him are fellow Artemis III crew members Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas. NASA announced the four astronauts chosen for the Artemis III mission, which is scheduled for 2027.

During the Artemis III crew reveal at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on June 9, 2026, astronauts Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas were greeted by members of the Artemis II crew, including mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover.

This image captured that moment when the Artemis II crew passed the baton to the Artemis III crew.

The image captures astronaut Andre Douglas greeting audience members as he arrived on stage during the Artemis III crew reveal event at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. Alongside Douglas, the crew includes Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency. Artemis III is planned to remain in low Earth orbit and demonstrate spacecraft docking capabilities, while the following Artemis IV mission is expected to return humans to the Moon’s surface in 2028.

Astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio speak during the Artemis III crew reveal event at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on June 9, 2026.

The image shows astronauts Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano of Italy representing the European Space Agency, alongside Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, greeting the audience members at the NASA Johnson Space Center on June 9, 2026, during the Artemis III crew reveal.

NASA has been aiming to take astronauts back to the lunar surface since the 1970s. Ahead of a scheduled 2028 lunar landing, NASA restructured the mission into a low Earth orbit test flight to assess crucial lander docking capabilities.

The image shows a person getting hold of some stickers following the conclusion of NASA’s Artemis III crew reveal.

During Tuesday’s event, NASA astronaut Bob Hines was announced as the backup crew member. The main crew will start their training immediately on the Orion spacecraft systems. They will also help and contribute towards the development of the SpaceX and Blue Origin lunar landers’ test versions.

The image shows astronauts Andre Douglas and Artemis II pilot Victor Glover exchanging pleasantries during NASA’s Artemis III crew reveal on June 9, 2026.