NASA Artemis III Crew Training Underway | Johnson Space Center

NASA Artemis III Crew Training Underway | Johnson Space Center

Image Description: From left, Artemis III crew members, NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Randy Bresnick, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio participate in training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.

After being assigned to the Artemis III mission on June 9, 2026, NASA astronauts Bresnik, Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, and the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano began an intensive training flow that covers Orion systems and operations, science objectives, leadership and team‑building exercises, as well as joint training with commercial human landing system providers.

The crew’s training is organized around major phases of the mission, including ascent, orbit and rendezvous operations, entry, and both pre‑ and post‑landing readiness.

Crew members are working in the Orion mockup at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, practicing daily spacecraft operations, such as mealtime routines, using equipment like the food warmer and potable water dispenser. They also are refining their camera skills to capture and share imagery from their mission in low Earth orbit.

The crew recently completed an introductory water survival class focused on hardware used during off‑nominal landings, along with a post‑landing emergency exiting course that introduced splashdown procedures and initial post‑landing conditions.

This week in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab, they donned their spacesuits and practiced exiting Orion in an upright configuration. The practice allowed the crew to demonstrate the proper use of their Orion Crew Survival System suits, survival hardware, life raft, and more.

The Artemis III crew also began integrated simulations with the flight control team, including the first simulation with the four crew members together. In these sessions, crew members and controllers rehearse mission timelines and respond to a variety of situations they could face in space, strengthening coordination, decision‑making, and procedures.

Planned to launch in 2027, the Artemis III Mission will practice docking the Orion spacecraft with two lunar landers in low Earth orbit. 

On future missions, including Artemis IV in 2028, landers will bring astronauts to the lunar surface. While Artemis III will not land on the Moon, it will test the complex capabilities NASA needs to return—this time to stay.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford
Image Date: Aug. 19, 2026
Release Date: Aug. 27, 2026

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