NASA Names Artemis 3 Crew: Moon Landing Moves Further Away

The crew thus consists of three Americans and one European. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher highlighted the significance of European participation in a statement: „Artemis III wird die Grenzen des Raumfahrzeugbetriebs im Orbit erweitern. Lucas Ernennung zum Piloten spiegelt die europäische Expertise in der bemannten Raumfahrt wider und stützt sich auf seine umfangreiche operative Erfahrung in Hochdrucksituationen.“ With a wink, Aschbacher added that Parmitano brings „einen Hauch italienischer Leichtigkeit an Bord“.

Changed Mission Objectives: No Landing, Only Tests

Contrary to original plans, Artemis 3 will no longer include a human landing on the Moon. Instead, the mission is to test in Earth orbit the rendezvous and docking of two Moon landers with the Orion spacecraft. Tests with SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 are planned. Astrophysicist Michael Summers of George Mason University warned that, despite sounding simple, the maneuvers are extremely demanding: „Es klingt so einfach: Rendezvous und Andocken. Aber das ist schwer! Software, Hardware - du musst alles testen.“ The astrophysicist described sending astronauts directly to the lunar South Pole as a „wirklich schweres Unterfangen“.

The Moon landing itself is now slated for the follow-up mission Artemis 4, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than 2028. Luca Parmitano, the first European to fly in the Artemis program, will not reach the Moon. The 49-year-old, who has already spent more than a year in space, including 33 hours and nine minutes on spacewalks, will serve as pilot, steering the Orion capsule and testing technologies in Earth orbit for the planned Moon landing.

Technical Problems at SpaceX and Blue Origin

NASA chief Jared Isaacman called the crew announcement another crucial step: „Heute machen wir einen weiteren mutigen Schritt bei der Rückkehr der Menschheit zum Mond und bauen auf dem außergewöhnlichen Fundament auf, das die Besatzung von Artemis II gelegt hat.“ In the spring, Artemis 2 had flown humans to the Moon — the first time in more than 50 years. During the handover ceremony, Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman symbolically passed the baton to the new crew: „Ihr habt jetzt die Kontrolle“.

The postponement of the Moon landing is primarily due to difficulties with the launch vehicles and landers. SpaceX is currently working to resolve engine problems with the new Starship V3 version, after the rocket had already exploded multiple times. Blue Origin's New Glenn, founded by Jeff Bezos, also recently exploded and destroyed the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Both rockets are meant to carry the Moon landers into space for rendezvous with the Orion capsule, but are not yet flying reliably. The development of the Moon landers themselves is also delayed.

Preparations on the Space Launch System

In parallel, preparations are underway on the ground for the heavy-lift rocket Space Launch System (SLS). Technicians are currently integrating the engine block into the core stage. The four RS-25 engines are to be installed in the summer. After the launch planned for late 2027, the Artemis 3 crew is expected to remain in space for roughly two weeks, with the exact mission duration depending in real time on launch progress, the rendezvous maneuvers, and the docking operations.

The crew announcement thus came against the backdrop of a significantly more complex mission architecture. What was once announced as humanity's return to the lunar surface is, for now, a technical test program in Earth orbit. It will be Artemis 4 that makes the leap to the lunar South Pole — provided the landers and launch vehicles are operational by then.