Artemis Crew Controversy
NASA Announces All-Male Artemis III Crew for Lunar Mission, Defends Selection Amid Criticism
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NASA has named a four-man crew for the Artemis III mission, drawing swift criticism over the absence of any female astronauts. The crew — Commander Randy Bresnik, Pilot Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, and Mission Specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio — was announced June 9 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, according to NASA.
Rather than landing on the Moon as originally planned, Artemis III will now fly in low Earth orbit. The mission will test whether NASA's Orion capsule can dock with both a SpaceX and a Blue Origin lunar lander — a critical step before any crew actually touches down on the lunar surface, Spaceflight Now reported.
All-Male Crew Selection Sparks Backlash at NASA
NASA had long promised to land the "first woman" on the Moon under the Artemis program. Critics say that even though Artemis III is no longer a landing mission, picking four men sends the wrong message. Artemis II veteran Christina Koch — who flew around the Moon — was not selected. Spaceflight Now noted that NASA's newest astronaut class is actually majority female, with six women and four men.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended the picks on June 11. He said astronauts were chosen "based solely on their experience, skill sets, and availability." Analysts note the crew brings serious credentials. Frank Rubio holds the American record for longest single spaceflight at 371 days. Luca Parmitano is the first European assigned to a mission of this scale.
Artemis III's Moon Landing Becomes an Orbit Test
The mission's redesign follows a pattern NASA calls "buying down risk." Instead of flying to the Moon, the crew will practice complex docking moves close to Earth. "It is much better to do [docking tests] in low-Earth orbit than it is four-plus days away," said Jeremy Parsons of NASA's Exploration Systems Development, according to Spaceflight Now.
Administrator Isaacman announced the pivot on February 27, 2026. The first actual lunar landing is now targeted for Artemis IV in 2028. That mission must show that Orion can link up with both SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon landers. Artemis II had already circled the Moon successfully, splashing down on April 10, 2026, according to The Planetary Society.
X-59 Breaks the Sound Barrier for the First Time
NASA's X-59 Quesst aircraft hit a major milestone on June 5, reaching Mach 1.1 at 43,400 feet — its first supersonic flight ever. Then on June 12, the plane hit its design target of Mach 1.4, or roughly 924 mph, at 55,000 feet, according to NASA. Supersonic flight over U.S. land has been banned since 1973 because of disruptive sonic booms.
The X-59 is built to turn that boom into what NASA calls a "quiet thump" — about as loud as a car door closing, measured at 75 EPNdB. If community overflights planned for late 2026 and 2027 go well, the FAA could start lifting that 50-year ban on overland supersonic travel. That would open the door for commercial supersonic passenger flights once again.
SpaceX Launches 27th Flight of a Record-Setting Booster
SpaceX added to a busy week in space news with a Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral on June 12 at 8:37 a.m. EDT. The mission, called Starlink 10-54, carried 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. It marked the 27th flight for booster B1080, a record for any single rocket booster, according to Spaceflight Now.
The launch also coincided with SpaceX beginning to trade on the Nasdaq — a milestone for the private space industry. SpaceX's Falcon 9 carries a list price of roughly $74 million per launch and continues to dominate the commercial rocket market. The company's rapid pace — two launches in a single week — stands in sharp contrast to NASA's longer development timelines.
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