{"id":860448,"date":"2026-06-11T18:39:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T18:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/860448\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T18:39:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T18:39:19","slug":"nasa-chief-defends-artemis-iii-crew-after-no-women-selected-for-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/860448\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA chief defends Artemis III crew after no women selected for mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

The head of NASA<\/a> is defending the space<\/a> agency’s choice to select only men for its next Artemis moon mission<\/a> following criticism that no female astronauts were named to the crew.<\/p>\n

The absence of women selected for Artemis III was notable, given that at least one female astronaut has typically been part of most major crewed NASA missions since Sally Ride made her landmark spaceflight in 1983. During the recent Artemis II mission in April<\/a>, astronaut Christina Koch further made history by becoming the first woman to fly on a mission venturing near the moon.<\/p>\n

But when NASA revealed on Tuesday, June 9, the astronauts selected for the 2027 mission<\/a>, all four of them were men \u2013 as well as the single backup crew member.<\/p>\n

“I have seen reactions ranging from disappointment to outrage,” Jared Isaacman, the administrator of NASA<\/a>, said in a post<\/a> on social media site X one day after the crew of the Artemis III mission were announced. “In a world with so much controversy, I hope this can be a moment where we celebrate the astronauts selected, respect the integrity of the process, and recognize the extraordinary depth of talent across the entire corps.”<\/p>\n

Meet NASA’s Artemis III team with first European pilot<\/p>\n

1 of 16<\/p>\n

NASA<\/a> named four astronauts for Artemis III at a press conference in Houston on June 9, 2026. The crew is preparing for a 2027 launch.<\/p>\n

(L-R) NASA astronaut commander Randy Bresnik, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut pilot Luca Parmitano, NASA astronaut mission specialist Frank Rubio, and NASA astronaut mission specialist Andre Douglas speak during a press conference announcing the crew for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on June 9, 2026. <\/p>\n

(RONALDO SCHEMIDT, AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Here’s more about the Artemis III crew, and how Isaacman addressed the recent backlash<\/a> as NASA aims to return astronauts to the moon<\/a> for the first time since 1972.<\/p>\n

Artemis III: <\/strong>Meet the crew of astronauts<\/a><\/p>\n

NASA announces crew of Artemis III<\/p>\n

NASA on June 9 announced the astronauts selected for the next mission under its Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era and build a permanent lunar base<\/a> where they can live and work.<\/p>\n

The mission, known as Artemis III<\/a>, would be the second crewed test flight preceding a human moon landing attempt as early as 2028 during the Artemis IV mission.<\/p>\n

Here’s the crew:<\/p>\n