NASA Announces Artemis III Crew for Critical Orbital Test Flight

Mission reoriented from lunar landing to high-stakes orbital demonstration

"Artemis III will demonstrate the power of American innovation and international partnership as we test complex rendezvous and docking operations."
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman

Mission Overview

Artemis III is planned as a crewed test flight in Earth orbit, scheduled for launch in late 2027. According to NASA, the crew will test rendezvous and docking capabilities with lunar landing system pathfinders. This involves practicing docking the Orion capsule with two moon landers while orbiting Earth—essential preparation for Artemis IV, NASA's first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole, targeted for 2028.

The mission was originally planned as a lunar landing but was revised to an orbital test flight. It will launch aboard NASA's Space Launch System rocket, with the Orion spacecraft powered and propelled by the third European Service Module (ESM) , provided by the European Space Agency (ESA). The ESM provides power, propulsion, thermal control, air, and water for the crew.

Crew Composition

Luca Parmitano: A Test Pilot's "Dream Mission"

Luca Parmitano is an Italian astronaut with the European Space Agency who has spent 366 days in space across two missions to the International Space Station (ISS), named Volare and Beyond. During those missions, he conducted six spacewalks totaling over 30 hours and served as ISS commander.

After returning to Earth, Parmitano served as ESA's liaison at NASA's Johnson Space Center, acting as CapCom (capsule communicator) and training astronauts for spacewalks and robotic operations. In 2025, he participated in NASA's Underway Recovery Test 12, which simulated the splashdown and recovery of Artemis astronauts from an Orion mock-up.

Before becoming an astronaut, Parmitano was a test pilot for the Italian Air Force. He was selected as an astronaut in 2007 by the Italian Air Force and trained as an experimental test pilot at EPNER in France. He was promoted to Colonel in 2019, has logged over 2,000 flight hours, and qualified on more than 20 military aircraft types. He was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009 and has also trained as a "cavenaut" and "aquanaut" for ESA.

"This is a dream mission for a test pilot. The assignment was unexpected and emotional."
— Luca Parmitano

European Contributions

ESA is providing the third European Service Module (ESM) for Artemis III, built with contributions from 13 ESA Member States, involving over 20 main contractors and more than 100 suppliers.

• The module structure is built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy
• Final assembly is by Airbus in Bremen, Germany
• The ESM departed Bremen in August 2024 and arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
• ESA handed it over to NASA in September 2025
• The module recently completed acoustic testing and will be integrated with the Orion Crew Module, followed by installation of solar arrays

Josef Aschbacher, ESA's Director General, stated that Parmitano's assignment as pilot reflects European expertise in human spaceflight and that the ESM demonstrates Europe's role in the Artemis programme. Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA's Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, noted that Europe will play both a piloting role and provide the ESM for the mission.

Timeline and Status

• Artemis II (preceding mission): Scheduled for April 2027 — will set a distance record for human spaceflight, surpassing Apollo 13's 1970 record
• Artemis III: Scheduled for launch in late 2027
• Lunar landings: Planned from Artemis IV onward, with the first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole targeted for 2028

Additional Context

On January 12, 2020, while serving as commander of the International Space Station, Luca Parmitano observed and photographed smoke plumes from the Black Summer bushfires in Australia from orbit. He stated that his documentation was intended to provide a reality check about climate change and that individuals can make a difference through small actions and by choosing leaders who represent those values.