NASA Reveals Astronauts For Artemis III — And One Is Italian
NASA names the crew for 2027’s Artemis III Earth orbit mission testing Orion docking with Blue Origin and SpaceX landers ahead of future moon landing missions.
- Artemis III will be the first crewed Orion flight to practice docking with commercial lunar landers from Blue Origin (Blue Moon) and SpaceX (Starship HLS).
- The four-person crew includes the first Italian astronaut assigned to a NASA lunar mission, reflecting Italy's role in building the Lunar Gateway.
- The mission is scheduled for 2027, lasting approximately 10 days in low Earth orbit; no Moon landing is planned.
- NASA awarded over $6 billion combined to Blue Origin and SpaceX for the Human Landing System contracts that these landers support.
- Artemis III follows Artemis I (uncrewed, 2022) and Artemis II (crewed lunar flyby, expected 2025), building toward a surface landing later this decade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Artemis III is NASA's third mission in the Artemis program, scheduled for 2027. It will carry a four-person crew in the Orion spacecraft to test docking procedures with commercial lunar landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX in Earth orbit, paving the way for future Moon landings.
The specific Italian astronaut's name has not been publicly released as of the June 2026 announcement, but they are from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and will be the first Italian to fly on a NASA lunar-class mission.
The inclusion reflects strengthened cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), particularly Italy's contribution to the Lunar Gateway and other Artemis infrastructure. It also highlights the international nature of the program.
No, Artemis III will remain in low Earth orbit. Its primary goal is to test Orion's ability to dock with two different commercial landers (Blue Origin's Blue Moon and SpaceX's Starship HLS) before a crewed landing is attempted on a later mission.
A crewed Moon landing is currently planned for Artemis IV or Artemis V, likely in the late 2020s or early 2030s, pending the success of Artemis III and subsequent test flights.
Artemis III will test docking with two landers: Blue Origin's Blue Moon and SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System (HLS), both developed under NASA's Human Landing System contracts.
Original source
www.forbes.com
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