Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Artemis III Names Crew, Tests Starship and Blue Moon Landers

6/9/2026

47 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Artemis III will be the first to test SpaceX Starship and Blue Origin Blue Moon landers in orbit.
Administrator Jared Isaacman named Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, Randy Bresnik and Luca Parmitano for 2027.
Orion will dock with the two landers in low-Earth orbit as a rehearsal for lunar landings.
Despite Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounding Starship and a New Glenn explosion in May, NASA says the landers stay on schedule for Artemis III.

History

Historical Context

After President John F. Kennedy’s May 25 1961 pledge to land a man on the Moon, NASA built the Apollo program, contracting fifteen Saturn V rockets and mobilizing over 500,000 engineers, scientists and technicians. The effort culminated with Apollo 11’s July 20 1969 lunar landing, proving that a national goal could be achieved through massive public-private coordination.

1 of 2

Story summary

Artemis III will be the first to test SpaceX Starship and Blue Origin Blue Moon landers in orbit.
Administrator Jared Isaacman named Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, Randy Bresnik and Luca Parmitano for 2027.
Orion will dock with the two landers in low-Earth orbit as a rehearsal for lunar landings.
Despite Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounding Starship and a New Glenn explosion in May, NASA says the landers stay on schedule for Artemis III.

1 / 2