‘Earth’s first starfleet’: Nasa reveals Artemis III crew and project’s next steps

The Artemis III crew including, from left, Andrew Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik and Frank Rubio. Photograph: Bill Stafford/NASA/AP View image in fullscreen The Artemis III crew including, from left, Andrew Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik and Frank Rubio. Photograph: Bill Stafford/NASA/AP ‘Earth’s first starfleet’: Nasa reveals Artemis III crew and project’s next steps Luca Parmitano to pilot all-male crew of four paving way for planned first human landing on Artemis IV in 2028 Jared Isaacman, the Nasa administrator, hailed the creation of “Earth’s first starfleet” on Tuesday as he revealed the Artemis III crew and details of the next stages of the space agency’s project to return humans to the moon. An Italian astronaut, Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency (ESA), will be the pilot of the planned two-week mission to lower Earth orbit next year that will test lunar landers from private companies Blue Origin and SpaceX. Three Americans, Andrew Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik, form the rest of the all-male crew of four paving the way for the planned first human lunar landing in 66 years on Artemis IV in 2028. “We wish you Godspeed on the journey ahead, you carry the fire of exploration from generations past, the confidence of this agency, and the support of this nation, and the dreams of millions who will be cheering you on,” Isaacman said during the event at Houston’s Johnsn space center. The Nasa chief also listed the numerous rockets, capsules, landers and support spacecraft that will be needed for the two-week test flight, the subsequent construction of a permanent moon base , and future exploration missions including Artemis IV set for 2028 that will see the first crewed lunar touchdown since 1972. “Think about how many spacecraft, all of which will eventually carry human beings, will be in orbit at the same time, from Dragon, Shenzhou, Soyuz, possibly Starliner, Starship, and Blue Origin landers,” he said, including spacecraft from Russia and China. “This seems like the beginning of the future that we imagined as children. This seems like the very beginning of Earth’s first Starfleet to me.” Unlike the Artemis II astronauts who looped around the moon in Nasa’s highly successful April mission to test its Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule, the Artemis III crew will remain close to Earth. They will test docking procedures and life support systems for the two landers vying for the Artemis IV contract, firstly Blue Origin’s Blue Moon, then SpaceX’s Human Landing System. John Couluris, Blue Origin’s senior vice-president of lunar permanence, acknowledged the 28 May launchpad explosion in Florida that destroyed the company’s New Glenn rocket designed to carry its lander. But he said Blue Origin was confident that New Glenn, and the launchpad, would be ready for next year’s flight. “As you know, we had a significant anomaly,” he said. “The response from Nasa, our partners, and customers has been extraordin