Key facts
- NASA has named the four-person crew for its next Artemis moon mission.
- The crew consists of three U.S. astronauts and one Italian astronaut.
- The mission will test SpaceX and Blue Origin moon landers in Earth's orbit.
- Artemis III is scheduled to launch late next year.
- This mission is the final step before astronauts attempt a lunar landing.
NASA has announced the crew for its upcoming Artemis III mission, a critical step in its program to return humans to the Moon and establish a long-term presence. The four-person crew, comprising three American astronauts and one Italian astronaut, will participate in a spacecraft docking demonstration in Earth's orbit next year. This mission is significant as it will be the first space-based test of the lunar landers being developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. While the mission itself will not travel to the Moon, it serves as a vital precursor to subsequent Artemis missions aiming to land astronauts on the lunar surface. The Artemis program faces competitive pressure from China, which has set its own goal for a crewed moon landing by 2030. The mission will involve multiple spacecraft, including NASA's Orion capsule, testing complex docking procedures.