NASA Reveals Artemis 3 Crew: Commander Bresnik to Lead Four-Person Team
Summary: On the evening of June 9, 2026 (Beijing time), NASA held a press conference at the Johnson Space Center to officially announce the four-person crew for the Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing mission. Veteran astronaut Randy Bresnik will serve as commander, joined by three other astronauts. NASA stated that Artemis 3 remains on track for an uncrewed test in 2027 and a crewed lunar landing by 2028.
Crew composition
Randy Bresnik is an experienced NASA astronaut who has flown multiple space missions. The newly announced four-person crew will carry out the first crewed lunar landing for the United States since the Apollo program. The Artemis 3 mission plan calls for launching the Orion spacecraft aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to lunar orbit, after which Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander will deliver two astronauts to the lunar surface.
Mission background and challenges
Artemis 3 is a critical step in the U.S. return to the Moon. However, the mission faces multiple challenges. Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket was destroyed in a static-fire test explosion on May 28, 2026, damaging the planned launch vehicle for the Blue Moon lander. In a June 4 interview, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman publicly stated for the first time that the agency is considering "decoupling" the Blue Moon lander from New Glenn and finding an alternative launch vehicle. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, meanwhile, said on June 2 that the LC-36 launch pad's propellant tanks remain intact, the support tower can be repaired in place, and the company aims to resume New Glenn flights by the end of 2026.
Despite these uncertainties, NASA is maintaining the Artemis 3 schedule. The crew announcement represents a major milestone, signaling that astronaut selection and training have entered a substantive phase.