NASA Plans All-Male Crew for Artemis III Moon Mission

NASA’s future mission to return humans to the moon, Artemis III, will have an all-male crew. Three crew members have significant experience in space, while one previously served as a backup on Artemis II.

The crew of Artemis III includes Commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency, and mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas.

In April, NASA’s Artemis II mission sent astronauts to the moon’s vicinity for the first time in more than 50 years. The crew featured Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. This mission was notable for diversity – Mr. Glover was the first Black man near the moon, and Ms. Koch the first woman. Jeremy Hansen marked a first for Canadian astronauts.

Now, Artemis III’s astronauts are named Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas. Mr. Douglas is Black, Mr. Rubio was the first astronaut of Salvadoran descent in space, and Mr. Parmitano is the European Space Agency’s first representative in an Artemis mission. However, there are no women in this crew.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman stressed not to interpret this selection in certain ways, stating the chosen astronauts were the best for the mission’s goals. He did not detail the selection process but noted NASA’s recent astronaut candidate class had more women than men.

NASA previously committed to land the first woman, person of color, and non-American on the moon. This pledge was removed from its website after a federal crackdown on diversity initiatives began in early 2025 under the Trump administration.