The crew is set, the mission is defined, and the next chapter of Artemis begins now 🌔 This week, @NASA shared a major update on the mission that will help pave the way for America’s return to the Moon. Here's a quick look at Artemis III in your NASA Minute!

Grateful to @SLOTUS for inspiring the next generation of explorers and for welcoming the Artemis II crew to share the wonder of space exploration with young minds. The kids dressing up as astronauts today may one day be the engineers, scientists, astronauts, and mission leaders shaping what comes next.

Apollo taught us what was possible. Artemis is showing us what comes next. We no longer have to put everything on a single rocket. Artemis III will bring together multiple launch providers and reusable systems so we can learn, improve, and build the capabilities needed for a sustained human presence beyond Earth. This time, we are building the capabilities to stay.

The future of exploration will be built through thriving spaceports, reusable rockets, orbital assembly, and technologies we once only imagined. Just as railroads and highways transformed our economy, tomorrow’s orbital and lunar economy will help power what comes next. Very exciting times ahead.

Ambitious is what we do at NASA. Artemis III will be unlike anything we’ve ever undertaken. A multi-launch campaign bringing together the most powerful rockets in the world to test rendezvous, docking, and interoperability across multiple systems close to Earth before we return astronauts to the lunar surface. This is how we get into the rhythm of the missions that follow. You give NASA and our industry partners a year, we’ll get the job done.

Usha and I had the opportunity to talk with the Artemis astronauts while they were up in space. Very cool that they joined Usha’s podcast! Give it a listen

3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF! Meet the Artemis II astronauts and hear them read two exciting stories about space on the newest episode of Storytime with the Second Lady. 🌖🚀 @NASA @NASAArtemis youtu.be/Ap6oH1EUEPw?si=o1gM…

Starting with some energy, and my inability to write brief updates, I am just extremely proud of the NASA crew, our industry, and our international partners. We are getting into a rhythm here at NASA. Earlier this year, setbacks put the Artemis II rocket back in the VAB for repairs, and we determined it was necessary to add another mission, Artemis III in 2027. Since then, we have unveiled the Ignition plans to build a Moon Base and nuclear-powered spaceships, launched a highly successful mission around the Moon, brought the crew home safely, and now watched the torch pass to Artemis III. There will be no shortage of major milestones to celebrate in the months ahead as we build the Moon Base and launch the Nancy Grace Roman telescope. I am beyond proud of the team and all the momentum and excitement around the space program. I do want to take this moment to address two of the questions I have been seeing since the crew announcement. Why are there no women assigned to Artemis III? I have seen reactions ranging from disappointment to outrage. I have personally been to space twice with 50% female crews. My closest advisors and some of the smartest engineers I know are women. In our latest NASA leadership organization, nearly 50% of the Center Directors and Mission Directorate leadership are women. The last astronaut candidate class selected under this Administration was majority female because they were the best of the best, including one astronaut I previously went to space with. In a world with so much controversy, I hope this can be a moment where we celebrate the astronauts selected, respect the integrity of the process, and recognize the extraordinary depth of talent across the entire corps. The crew selection does not involve any political appointees. The Astronaut Office assigns the crew that gives the mission the best chance of meeting its objectives, taking into account many factors, including the background and expertise of the astronauts, such as test pilot experience, development work on specific programs, and availability. For example, those raising this concern may not be aware of the pipeline of crews already preparing to launch to the Space Station, or those who have been undergoing lunar-specific training that would be a better fit for a future surface mission. The Artemis III astronauts are experienced, qualified, and deserve to be celebrated for the mission they have been assigned, just as the crews that follow will be celebrated when their time comes. We have an extraordinary astronaut corps, and every mission and every crew is part of a larger campaign to get America back to the Moon and to build the future we all dreamed about as children. What are the objectives for Artemis III if both landers will not be fully ready? Coming off a highly successful lunar mission like Artemis II, it is not surprising that the bar is set high for Artemis III. I think it is important to understand how difficult and dangerous it is to land astronauts on the Moon. We have not done it in a very long time, and we want to draw from a past playbook for success. That means getting into a cadence of launching, learning, and rolling improvements into the next mission. First and foremost, it is imperative for SLS to be flying with some frequency for operational currency and, honestly, safety. Earlier this year, it was very clear across NASA leadership that an additional mission was necessary in 2027. It is also imperative to gain interoperability data from rendezvous and docking with landers in Earth orbit. We do not need those landers that are still in development to be fully capable and certified for landing on the Moon on Artemis III, but we do need to test certain systems and controllability. Not to mention, we are moving quickly into a future where we do not require a single rocket to bring everything necessary for a mission to space, and as such, gaining experience with multi-launch campaigns and on-orbit assembly is directionally correct. The Blue Origin test lander for Artemis III will incorporate many of the most important systems and subsystems that have not previously been operated by the provider, including ECLSS in a crew cabin, and other avionics. With SpaceX, they have demonstrated many of those capabilities continuously on Crew Dragon, but other controllability tests are important based on the negative-X axis acceleration that will be necessary when Starship undertakes the TLI burn to the Moon with a docked Orion. After Artemis III, we will learn a lot and roll in further improvements, be that hardware, software, or procedural updates, as both providers undertake end-to-end uncrewed demonstrations to the surface in 2028, in advance of Artemis IV, where NASA astronauts will finally complete the grand return to the Moon. As I said in my remarks yesterday, when Gene Cernan left the lunar surface on Apollo 17, he said, “We leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” We are returning, and we are doing so with the fire carried forward from Apollo, the lessons learned from Artemis II, the crew of Artemis III, and all those who will follow. NASA will send the very best crews for the right missions. If the composition of our astronaut corps and our latest class of candidates says anything, it is that we have exactly the talent required to get the job done. Godspeed Artemis III, and all those who will follow.

Yesterday was all about the future of American space exploration. Proud to help introduce the Artemis III crew and excited for the mission ahead. No better way to end a day like that than in the air with @NASAAdmin!

The Artemis Generation is here. Artemis III will help us get into the rhythm of multi-launch campaigns, test new capabilities close to home, and then take the next step toward building a sustained human presence at the lunar South Pole.

Andre Douglas Luca Parmitano Randy Bresnik Frank Rubio ARTEMIS III. 2027. 🚀🌙

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.

WATCH: @NASAAdmin announces the crew of Artemis III, a historic mission set to launch next year, which will demonstrate critical systems needed for future lunar landings. 🚀🌕

"NASA is describing this as one of the most complex missions ever." An update on Artemis III coming shortly 👀🚀

The Senator said it best. It was the honor of a lifetime to jump into Normandy and take part in the commemoration events recognizing those who served and sacrificed on the anniversary of D-Day. Very grateful to @SecWar, the @USSOCOM Para-Commandos, @USAmbFrance, and Senator Sheehy.

✈️ A historic moment for the X-59 and NASA's Quesst mission. Watch the moment the X-59 exceeded the speed of sound for the first time ever, marking a major milestone on the path toward demonstrating quiet supersonic flight over land. The display shows Mach 1.07, but the aircraft is actually at Mach 1.0. The difference comes from the system's calibration, which makes the shown value slightly higher than the true speed. The calibration will continue fine-tuning as we expand the X-59's flight envelope. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/3S9qToV #NASA #X59 #Quesst

We're going back to the Moon, and this time, we’re building to stay. Here’s what’s new this week in your @NASA Minute! 🌖 Moon Base plans announced 🚀 Artemis III booster segments on the move 🧑‍🚀 Artemis III crew announcement coming June 9 ✈️ X-59 goes supersonic

✈️ JUST IN: The X-59 has gone supersonic! The X-59 achieved supersonic speeds for the first time ever today — a major milestone for NASA’s Quesst mission and an important step toward upcoming flights that will demonstrate its quiet supersonic technology ahead of future community overflights. Fast now. Quiet soon. 🔊➡️🤫 Learn more: go.nasa.gov/4o8gENs #NASA #X59 #Quesst