NASA names Artemis III crew to test SpaceX and Blue Origin landers

NASA on June 9 named the four astronauts for Artemis III - commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano (ESA), and mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas - for a roughly two-week flight that will stay in low-Earth orbit to rendezvous and dock with both human landing systems before any crewed lunar landing. Administrator Jared Isaacman said Orion will link up with Blue Origin's Blue Moon and SpaceX's Starship landers to evaluate life support and other critical systems, with launch targeted as soon as late 2027. The plan turns the crewed test directly on the two companies' lander programs, both of which face hurdles - Blue Origin after the May 28 New Glenn pad explosion and SpaceX as it works to ready Starship for an orbital lander test.