Artemis III Crew Visit to KSC, VAB, Prototype Lab, IOZ

The Artemis III primary and back-up crew members pose for a photograph on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, pilot; NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, mission specialist; NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, commander; NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Bob Hines, backup crew member, viewed the work progress on the Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage inside High Bay 2 and the solid rocket booster integration inside High Bay 3. This marked the first visit to Kennedy by the entire crew and backup crew members. Artemis III will launch four crew members aboard the Orion spacecraft to carry out a series of objectives in low Earth orbit designed to demonstrate critical systems needed for future lunar landings, beginning with Artemis IV.