{"id":23445,"date":"2026-06-09T23:55:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T23:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/23445\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T23:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T23:55:11","slug":"factbox-nasas-artemis-iii-crew-a-test-pilot-an-italian-a-record-holder-and-a-first-timer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/23445\/","title":{"rendered":"Factbox-NASA’s Artemis III Crew: a Test Pilot, an Italian, a Record-Holder and a First-Timer"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 9 (Reuters) – NASA on Tuesday named three U.S. astronauts \u2060and \u2060an Italian astronaut as the crew \u2060for its next Artemis mission, a docking demonstration involving three spacecraft in Earth’s \u200borbit and planned for next year.<\/p>\n

U.S. astronauts Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano \u200cof the European Space Agency will \u200cbe the crew for Artemis III, due to launch in 2027, with no specific date yet announced.<\/p>\n

The \u2060four-man mission will \u2060test moon landers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin \u200bfor the first time in space, setting up a delicate docking demonstration one by one.<\/p>\n

Here are some highlights from the crew’s careers:<\/p>\n

MISSION COMMANDER RANDY BRESNIK<\/p>\n

Bresnik, 58, was selected to join NASA’s astronaut corps in 2004. He has flown to space \u200bthree times, logging roughly 150 days in space, 32 hours of which he spent spacewalking.<\/p>\n

He is \u2060a \u2060test pilot and retired U.S. \u2060Marine Corps colonel \u200bwho has more than 7,000 hours of flying experience in 95 different aircraft.<\/p>\n

Italy’s Parmitano, 49, \u200bjoined the European Space Agency \u2060astronaut corps in 2009 and has flown to space twice.\u00a0He is the first European Space Agency astronaut to join an Artemis mission and the second non-U.S. citizen, as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen flew on Artemis II.<\/p>\n

The inclusion of Parmitano in the Artemis mission marks Italy’s latest involvement in NASA’s Artemis program, as \u2060the agency’s other international partners eye new roles.<\/p>\n

MISSION SPECIALIST FRANK RUBIO<\/p>\n

Rubio, 50, broke the record \u2060for the longest continuous spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut at 371 days during his first and only spaceflight.<\/p>\n

He set that record in 2023 when the duration of his six-month stint on the International Space Station doubled because the Russian spacecraft he rode there on sprang a leak while docked. After waiting months for Russia to send a replacement craft, he returned to Earth in early 2023.<\/p>\n

Rubio is also a board-certified family physician and flight surgeon.<\/p>\n

MISSION SPECIALIST ANDRE DOUGLAS<\/p>\n

Artemis III will be the first trip to space for Douglas, 40, who was selected to join NASA’s \u2060astronaut corps in 2021. Born in Miami, he holds degrees in various areas of engineering, including three master’s degrees and a doctorate in systems engineering from George Washington University.<\/p>\n

Before joining NASA, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard as a naval architect and worked on various NASA \u200bprograms while at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab as a professional staff \u200bmember.<\/p>\n

(Compiled by Joey Roulette; Editing by Jamie Freed)<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.<\/p>\n

Photos You Should See \u2013 June 2026<\/p>\n

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