US Army Astronaut Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA announced on June 10, 2026, that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct orbital tests to prepare for Artemis IV, the first crewed mission to the Moon's South Pole in 2028. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, holds the American record for longest single spaceflight (371 days). The mission will evaluate docking with commercial lunar landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX.
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US Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA announced on June 10, 2026, that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth's orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV mission in 2028, which will be the first crewed mission to the Moon's South Pole. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight (371 days) aboard the International Space Station from 2022-2023. The Artemis III mission will evaluate spacecraft navigation and docking with commercial landing systems developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. Rubio is one of three crew members with military backgrounds, alongside Andre Douglas (Coast Guard) and Commander Randy Bresnik (retired Marine Corps colonel). The Army currently has two active-duty astronauts: Rubio and Col. Anne McClain.
Military TimesUS Army astronaut tapped for NASA’s Artemis III mission
NASA announced on June 10, 2026, that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV mission, the first crewed flight to the moon's South Pole in 2028. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight (371 days) aboard the ISS. His Army training, including over 1,100 flight hours and 600 combat hours, prepared him for the role. Three of the four Artemis III crew members have military backgrounds, including commander Randy Bresnik (retired Marine Corps colonel) and mission specialist Andre Douglas (Coast Guard veteran). Rubio and Col. Anne McClain are the Army's only active-duty astronauts.
Army TimesUS Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA announced on June 10, 2026, that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV mission, the first crewed flight to the Moon's South Pole in 2028. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight (371 days) aboard the ISS. His Army training, including over 1,100 flight hours and 600 combat hours, was cited as integral to his readiness. The crew includes other military veterans: Andre Douglas (Coast Guard), Randy Bresnik (Marine Corps), and backup Bob Hines (Air Force). Rubio and Col. Anne McClain are the Army's only active-duty astronauts.
Military TimesUS Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA announced on June 10, 2026, that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth's orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV flight in 2028, which will be the first crewed mission to the Moon's South Pole. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight (371 days) aboard the ISS. The mission will evaluate docking with commercial landing systems from Blue Origin and SpaceX. Rubio is one of three crew members with military backgrounds, alongside Andre Douglas (Coast Guard) and Commander Randy Bresnik (Marine Corps). The Army currently has two active-duty astronauts: Rubio and Col. Anne McClain.
Military TimesUS Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA announced on Tuesday that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth's orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV flight in 2028, which will be the first crewed mission to the moon's South Pole. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight (371 days) aboard the International Space Station. The Artemis III mission will evaluate spacecraft navigation and docking with commercial landing systems developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. Rubio is one of three crew members with military backgrounds; others include Coast Guard veteran Andre Douglas and retired Marine Corps Colonel Randy Bresnik. The Army currently has two active-duty astronauts: Rubio and Colonel Anne McClain.
Defense NewsUS Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA has announced that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth's orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV mission, which aims to land at the Moon's South Pole in 2028. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight (371 days) aboard the International Space Station. The Artemis III mission will evaluate spacecraft navigation and docking with commercial lunar landing systems developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. Rubio is one of three crew members with military backgrounds, alongside retired Marine Corps Colonel Randy Bresnik (commander) and Coast Guard Academy graduate Andre Douglas. The Army currently has two active-duty astronauts: Rubio and Colonel Anne McClain.
Army TimesUS Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA announced on June 10, 2026, that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV mission, the first crewed flight to the Moon's South Pole in 2028. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight (371 days) aboard the ISS. He is one of three crew members with military backgrounds, alongside Andre Douglas (Coast Guard), Randy Bresnik (Marine Corps), and backup Bob Hines (Air Force). Rubio and Col. Anne McClain are the Army's only active-duty astronauts.
Army TimesUS Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA announced on June 10, 2026, that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth's orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV flight in 2028, which will be the first crewed mission to the Moon's South Pole. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight (371 days) aboard the International Space Station. The mission will evaluate spacecraft navigation and docking with commercial landing systems developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. Rubio is one of three Artemis III crew members with military backgrounds, alongside Coast Guard veteran Andre Douglas and retired Marine Corps Colonel Randy Bresnik. The Army currently has two active-duty astronauts: Rubio and Colonel Anne McClain.
Defense NewsUS Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Artemis III Mission
NASA has announced that U.S. Army Colonel Frank Rubio will serve as a mission specialist on the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The four-person crew will conduct tests in Earth's orbit to prepare for the Artemis IV flight in 2028, which will be the first crewed mission to the Moon's South Pole. Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot and flight surgeon, previously set the American record for the longest single spaceflight at 371 days aboard the International Space Station. The Artemis III mission will evaluate spacecraft navigation and docking with commercial landing systems developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. Rubio is one of three crew members with military backgrounds, alongside Andre Douglas (Coast Guard) and Commander Randy Bresnik (Marine Corps). The Army currently has two active-duty astronauts: Rubio and Col. Anne McClain.
Defense News