NASA has named the crew for Artemis III, the next crewed flight in the agency's Artemis program, marking a critical step toward returning astronauts to the Moon later this decade. The crew includes Coast Guard Reserve Cmdr. Andre Douglas and Col. Frank Rubio, an Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and family medicine specialist.
The mission will test equipment for future Moon missions in Earth's orbit, focusing on rendezvous and docking procedures with lunar landers being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. This milestone is essential before sending astronauts back to the lunar surface for a planned landing in 2028.
Artemis III is scheduled to launch next year, according to the announcement. The mission represents a key proving ground for technologies and operations required for sustained lunar exploration under NASA's broader Artemis campaign.
While the crew announcement builds momentum for the program, critics point to persistent technical hurdles and budget overruns that have already delayed earlier Artemis milestones. Some analysts question whether the 2028 landing target remains achievable given the untested docking procedures and ongoing development of SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon landers.
The mission underscores the growing reliance on commercial partners—SpaceX and Blue Origin—to deliver the infrastructure needed for NASA's return to the Moon, a shift that has drawn both praise for accelerating innovation and concern over placing critical capabilities in private hands.
The selection of a Coast Guard officer alongside a military physician highlights NASA's emphasis on diverse expertise for deep-space missions, a pattern likely to continue as the agency moves toward establishing a permanent lunar presence.