NASA has unveiled the crew of Artemis III, the final test mission before Artemis IV returns to the surface of the moon. Commander, Randy Bresnik, Pilot Luca Parmitano and Mission Specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio will be the four astronauts heading back into space aboard the Orion spacecraft.
As preparations for the Artemis III moon mission are underway, space lovers are looking for the next upcoming rocket launches until the big day, as SpaceX prepares for more missions before the end of the year.
So far this month, SpaceX has completed four missions, launching Starlink satellites in Earth’s low orbit.
NASA ANNOUNCES ARTEMIS III ASTRONAUTS IN NEXT PHASE OF MISSION TO RETURN HUMANS TO THE MOON
The Falcon 9 spacecraft is a two-stage rocket that lands autonomously, with the primary goal of providing reliable, safe transport of people and supplies into space and beyond.
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CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FLORIDA – JUNE 08: A Spacex Flacon 9 rocket flies into space from Space Launch Complex 40 on June 08, 2026 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The mission, known as Starlink 10-35, will deploy 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. Shares in Elon Musk’s SpaceX are poised for a June 12th listing on Nasdaq, with a valuation of $135.
(Joe Raedle) -
A SpaceX Falcon 9 reusable rocket booster on display outside the company’s facilities in Hawthorne, California, US, on Monday, April 13, 2026. SpaceX has filed confidentially for an initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter, bringing billionaire Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite and AI company closer to delivering the biggest-ever listing.
(Ethan Swope/Bloomberg)
So far, Falcon 9 has completed 646 missions, with 600 landings and 565 reflights using the reusable rocket.
On Tuesday, NASA announced the names of the four astronauts who will participate in the Artemis III mission into low Earth orbit to complete necessary tests for the next phase of the Artemis program.
Commander Randy Bresnik, Pilot Luca Parmitano and Mission Specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio will be the four astronauts heading back into space aboard the Orion spacecraft.
NASA’S NEW NANCY GRACE ROMAN SPACE TELESCOPE SET TO LAUNCH MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
The crew is made up of three NASA astronauts and one European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut.
As the next launch approaches Wednesday, prediction markets at Kalshi are expecting an 86% chance of at least 140 SpaceX launches by the end of this year.
While it is less unlikely, the same markets are predicting a 36% chance of over 160 launches by the end of June.
NASA STARTS PREPARATIONS FOR ARTEMIS III MISSION WITH SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM ROLLOUT
SpaceX will continue to update the public on upcoming missions and the status of each flight.
