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

Artemis III backup crew member NASA astronaut Bob Hines visits the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Hines, as well as NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, commander; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, pilot; NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, mission specialist, made the first visit to Kennedy by the entire crew and backup crew members of Artemis III. The mission 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.

Location: VAB, Prototype Lab, IOZ