Just months after the success of Artemis II , NASA is poised to reveal its next generation of daring astronauts. At 11:00 EST (16:00 GMT) tomorrow, the space agency will reveal the four astronauts flying aboard Artemis III. In 2027, this mission will see the crew fly into low Earth orbit to see how NASA's new lunar landers dock with the Orion spacecraft used during Artemis II. While NASA hasn't revealed the details, these landers could be provided by one or both of Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin . In a post on X, NASA dubbed the test flight 'one of history’s most complex missions'. So far, the space agency is staying tight–lipped about who it is considering to take on this exciting new mission. However, Artemis III's precise manoeuvres and low–orbit flight mean a few potential candidates may have the edge – and the Artemis II crew aren't necessarily ruled out. So, here are the likely candidates poised to take the next step forward for the Artemis moon missions.

Dr Andre Douglas, 40, is probably one of the best candidates to take on the Artemis III mission due to his experience with NASA's last moon mission. During the preparations for Artemis II, Dr Douglas was selected as a backup crew member. This means that he trained alongside Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen and was prepared to step in and fill their positions. That gives Dr Douglas a unique level of experience with the Orion crew capsule that will be used during Artemis III. Additionally, Dr Douglas has been involved in some of NASA's most important scientific projects of recent years. He supported the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary defence mission for NASA and was part of the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium that worked to develop technology for a return to the moon. Although he lacks spaceflight experience, NASA was clearly ready to trust him with Artemis II and could be prepared to put its faith in him again. 

Another top contender is Dr Jessica Meir, 48, a veteran NASA astronaut with extensive spaceflight experience. In 2020, NASA unveiled what it called the 'Artemis Team' , a list of 18 astronauts who were supposed to train for the moon landing. Although the agency has now scrapped this list, selecting Reid Wiseman, who was not on the Artemis Team, it is still a good indication of who could be in the running. Among those potential candidates, Dr Meir stands out as the most experienced potential crewmember. She has clocked up 205 days in low–Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since being selected for the astronaut programme in 2013. Dr Meir also made history by taking part in the first all–female spaceflight alongside Artemis II crewmember Christina Koch. The only issue is that she is currently in space, serving as commander aboard the ISS for NASA's SpaceX Crew–12 mission. However, if Dr Meir can return to Earth and get back into mission fitness by 2027, that extra experience could prove invaluable.

Although Randolph 'Komrade' Bresnik, 58, hasn't been to space since 2018, he is still a highly experienced astronaut with outstanding pilot skills. Bresnik was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps in 1989, becoming an F/A–18 Test Pilot. He was eventually deployed to Kuwait to fly combat missions as part of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has logged over 7,000 hours in more than 95 different types of aircraft and 3,600 hours in spacecraft alone. Additionally, Bresnik has flown on multiple NASA missions, most recently serving as ISS commander for Expedition 53, logging over 149 days in space and 32 hours of spacewalks. Most importantly, Bresnik has already had a key role in the Artemis Programme and is intimately familiar with the hardware testing process. He is currently serving as the Assistant–to–the–Chief of the Astronaut Office for Exploration, which means that he manages the development and testing of everything that will operate beyond low–Earth orbit. This puts the veteran astronaut in a great position to personally oversee the testing of the new lunar landers from aboard the Orion capsule.

Another standout from the original Artemis Team roster is Dr Jessica Watkins, 38. Dr Watkins has already made waves at NASA, becoming the first black woman to serve on the ISS for a long–term mission. After completing her astronaut training in 2019, Dr Watkins spent 170 days as a mission specialist on the ISS during NASA's SpaceX Crew–4 mission. The only thing that might count Dr Watkins out of the running for Artemis III is that her skill set would be better suited to a lunar landing. In addition to being an astronaut, she is a highly accomplished geologist who served as chief geologist for a NASA analogue mission at the Mars Desert Research Station.  One of NASA's major goals for the first moon landing is to assess whether the moon's south pole has geology suitable for a permanent moon base . That means sending Dr Watkins into low–Earth orbit, rather than allowing her to focus on lunar exploration, may be a waste of her skills.

Having been selected as an astronaut in 1996, Stephanie Wilson, 59, is by far the most experienced astronaut from the original Artemis Team. After studying engineering at Harvard University and the University of Texas, Wilson joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1992. She is a veteran of three spaceflights aboard the shuttle and has logged more than 42 days in space. In fact, Wilson would have had more experience were it not for the infamous failure of the Boeing Starliner capsule in 2024. NASA had announced that she would fly as a mission specialist on the SpaceX Crew–9 mission, but Ms Wilson gave up her spot to make room for the safe return of the stranded Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. That might mean Wilson is due a chance to push NASA's human exploration missions to the next level.

Although he might seem like an unusual inclusion on the list, Victor Glover, 50, is still in the running to lead the next Artemis mission. Glover is an experienced NASA astronaut who famously served as pilot on NASA's Artemis II mission. NASA actually has no rule against re–using astronauts across its various moon missions. In fact, during the Apollo era, NASA reused several crew members across multiple launches, with four astronauts having travelled to the moon twice. This means there is nothing to prevent Glover from serving on another Artemis mission if NASA thinks he has what it takes. That could be important because Glover is currently the only person with experience actually piloting the Orion crew capsule. During Artemis II, Glover flew the craft through the Proximity Operations Demonstration, which was designed to simulate the moves needed to dock with a lunar landing system. Rather than using a separate lander or space station, the Artemis II crew used the spent Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) as a target. However, these complex manoeuvres are the exact same set of operations that the pilot of Artemis III will use to dock with the SpaceX and Blue Origin landers. Thanks to that vital experience, Glover is probably the best person in the world to put Orion through its paces during Artemis III's test docking.