The US space agency has unveiled the crew for its Artemis III mission, a step towards landing humans on the Moon. The four-person team includes three NASA astronauts and one ESA representative, set to launch no earlier than summer 2027.

Commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, and two mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio will test life support systems in a Blue Origin lander after docking with the Orion spacecraft. The mission aims to reduce risks before a planned lunar landing with Artemis IV.

This move comes as NASA’s new Administrator Jared Isaacman seeks to 'buy down risk' through low-Earth orbit missions, bridging the gap between successful flybys and future landings.

“We are the unifying link between Artemis II and Artemis IV,” said Bresnik. The mission's success will pave the way for humanity’s return to the lunar surface, with its first crewed landing scheduled for 2025.