STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The Artemis II mission this year took astronauts on a trip around the moon, part of NASA's plans to eventually get humans back on the moon. The next step is Artemis III, which will test some vital skills while in low Earth orbit. NASA announced the crew for that mission on Tuesday. Here's Central Florida Public Media's Brendan Byrne.
BRENDAN BYRNE, BYLINE: The crew of Artemis III is made up of a trio of space flight veterans and one rookie - NASA astronaut Andre Douglas.
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ANDRE DOUGLAS: What an excellent crew. Very proud to serve with these gentlemen. Very fine crew, and go Artemis. Go NASA.
BYRNE: He's flying alongside fellow mission specialist Frank Rubio. Their commander is Randy Bresnik, a veteran of two spaceflight missions. European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano of Italy is the pilot.
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LUCA PARMITANO: I'm honored by the role that I've been given. I'm also very humbled by the task in front of us.
BYRNE: That task is a tall order. Artemis III will attempt to rendezvous and dock with two lunar landing systems - one built by Blue Origin, the other by SpaceX. NASA is relying on those companies to build the spacecraft that will take future astronauts to the lunar surface. For this mission, both companies will launch their landers into space, and over two weeks, the Orion capsule will dock with both. It doesn't sound complex, but rendezvousing with separate vehicles during one mission designed and built by two different companies is a challenge. For Bresnik, it's a risk worth taking, since it gets future astronauts one step closer to the moon.
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RANDY BRESNIK: Now, spaceflight is hard, and that's why the most important Artemis mission will always be the next Artemis mission.
BYRNE: There's much work to be done. Last month, Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded at its launch pad. SpaceX continues to develop its Starship, but it hasn't flown to orbit yet. Still, NASA is confident both will be ready. As the companies prepare their landers for the Artemis III test, the crew is working with the Artemis II astronauts. Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman handed the new crew a baton - one that was carried during his mission in April around the moon and back - as a symbol of that step-by-step development to help NASA achieve its ambitious goal of returning humans to the lunar surface.
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REID WISEMAN: 'Cause we've been carrying these batons around for way too long.
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WISEMAN: And so with that, the Artemis II crew, Comrade, hands you the baton. You got the controls.
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BYRNE: NASA hopes to launch that baton and the Artemis III crew by the end of next year.
For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne in Orlando.
(SOUNDBITE OF LOWERCASE NOISES' "THIS IS FOR OUR SINS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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