University of Tennessee alumnus Randy Bresnik has been selected by NASA to command the Artemis III mission, a major milestone in the agency’s effort to return astronauts to the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars.
NASA announced earlier this month that Bresnik will lead the four-person Artemis III crew, which is scheduled to launch in 2027. The mission will conduct a series of complex tests in Earth orbit involving NASA’s Orion spacecraft and commercial lunar landing systems being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
Introducing Artemis III.
Four astronauts. Three launches. Two dockings. One splashdown.
In 2027, the Artemis III mission will practice docking the Orion spacecraft with two lunar landers in low Earth orbit — the capability we need to return humanity to the Moon’s surface. pic.twitter.com/8uhMUxuuWX
— NASA (@NASA) June 9, 2026
Bresnik (pictured above, third from the left), who earned a Master of Science in Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee Space Institute in 2002, was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004.
A retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, he has flown two space missions and logged more than 32 hours of spacewalk time across five extravehicular activities.
The Artemis III crew also includes European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot and NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as mission specialists. NASA astronaut Bob Hines was named as the backup crew member.
During the approximately two-week mission, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket will carry Orion and its crew into low Earth orbit, where the spacecraft will conduct rendezvous and docking demonstrations with test versions of lunar landers developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
NASA said the mission is designed to validate critical technologies and operational procedures needed for Artemis IV, the first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole in 2028.
Bresnik currently serves as assistant to the chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office for Exploration, managing astronaut involvement in the development and testing of systems supporting Artemis missions.
His previous spaceflights include the STS-129 Space Shuttle mission in 2009 and Expeditions 52 and 53 aboard the International Space Station in 2017, where he served as station commander.
Speaking to Spectrum News 13 about NASA’s selection of Bresnik to command the mission, Dr. John Schmisseur, executive director of the University of Tennessee Space Institute, said, “It would be great if he’d sing some ‘Rocky Top’ on the mic, or if he had the chance to talk to some of our students, that would be tremendous.”
“But we want him to, as usual, do his job well and come home safely,” Schmisseur added.
NASA said crew training for Artemis III will begin immediately as preparations continue for the 2027 mission.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
