Artemis III astronaut talks about ‘honor’ of helping US lead space race

( NewsNation ) — NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik has expressed the privilege he feels of being part of the Artemis III mission set for 2027.

Artemis III will test lunar landings, though it will not reach the moon. The mission is slated to launch into low Earth orbit in 2027 and will test rendezvous and docking capabilities.

It is seen as a “stepping stone” toward getting boots on the moon again.

“Knowing that (our mission) unlocks the ability for us to land on the moon in 2028,” Bresnik said. “I mean, what an honor, what a pleasure. And the fact that we are accelerating what NASA is doing in space and showing that the country continues to lead in so many areas of space.”

While Artemis II took a trip around the moon, Artemis III is set to perform tests with one or both lunar landers in Earth’s orbit.

The four-person crew will travel to Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft, where they will rendezvous with one or both commercially developed lunar landing systems, which will be launched separately.

Bresnik will command the mission. He is a two-time commander of the International Space Station (ISS). The astronaut joined NASA in 2004 and most recently served as the commander of the ISS for Expedition 53 and flight engineer for Expedition 52.

Bresnik never thought he would grow up to be an astronaut and encouraged others to pursue their dreams.

“The only limits you have are the ones you place on yourself. So don’t let anyone tell you you can’t. And if I had someone telling me that, I would have done things a little differently,” he said.

“Fortunately, I’m where I am, and every step has led me here,” the astronaut added. “But man, I wish I’d had that confidence or that knowledge or somebody, you know, being that supportive back then.”