JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Texas — In a historic announcement that bridges the legacy of military service with the next phase of human space exploration, NASA announced U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command's Col. Frank Rubio as Mission Specialist 1 of its upcoming Artemis III mission. The announcement, made Tuesday at the Johnson Space Center, places a Soldier at the forefront of humanity's return to the lunar surface.
Rubio will join NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik (Commander) and Andre Douglas, as well as ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, as they embark on a mission that will serve as a low-Earth orbit demonstration to test systems required for cislunar operations. Rubio's selection is a resounding testament to his recognized leadership, broad career experience and the technical expertise that Soldiers bring to the nation’s human spaceflight program.
“I am deeply honored to be selected for Artemis III, a mission that continues to build upon the foundation for the day Americans return to the surface of the Moon,†Rubio said. “My Army training has been an integral part of the experiences that have enabled me to be ready for this mission. Serving taught me to lead under pressure, how to stay calm when the stakes are highest, and how to put the mission and the people beside you above yourself. To those who have served, and to every Soldier and military family serving right now: you are the backbone of everything we do as a nation, including this. I am honored to represent the Army on the highest ground!â€
Rubio is no stranger to making history in orbit. He holds the American record for the longest single spaceflight, having spent 371 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station during Expeditions 68 and 69 from September 2022 to September 2023. During that unexpectedly extended spaceflight, Rubio completed 5,963 orbits of the Earth, traveled more than 157 million miles and conducted three spacewalks totaling 21 hours and 24 minutes. This extensive previous spaceflight experience, marked by deep resilience and adaptability, makes him uniquely qualified to serve under the demanding conditions that will be expected of him and the other Artemis III crewmembers.
Before his selection by NASA in 2017 as a member of Astronaut Class 22, Rubio built a distinguished 19-year military career as both an Army aviator and physician. A 1998 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was a member of the Black Knights parachute team, Rubio served as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot. He flew more than 1,100 hours, including more than 600 hours of combat and imminent danger time during deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Following his aviation service, Rubio earned his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2010. As a board-certified family physician and flight surgeon, he completed his residency at Fort Benning, Georgia, and subsequently served as a clinic supervisor at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Rubio was stationed as a battalion surgeon with the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colorado, at the time of his astronaut selection.
Rubio's selection highlights the critical contributions of the USASMDC NASA Detachment, located at the Johnson Space Center. The detachment bolsters NASA's human spaceflight program by providing active-duty Soldiers and space operations officers who deliver leadership, technical expertise and risk management skills. Alongside Rubio, the detachment currently includes Col. Anne McClain, a veteran astronaut and detachment commander, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph “Ben” Bailey, who in 2025 became the first Army warrant officer ever selected as an astronaut candidate, as well as two Army 40A Space Operations Officers and administrative personnel.
Since 1978, a select group of 20 Army astronauts and payload specialists have served at NASA. These Army astronauts and 40As not only provide vital human-machine interface and engineering expertise of value to NASA's operations, but also bring back invaluable experience and information from NASA and aerospace industry partners to the benefit of the Army.
“Congratulations to Col. Frank Rubio on his selection for the Artemis III mission,†said Lt. Gen. John Rafferty, commanding general, USASMDC. “His selection is a testament to his leadership, physical and mental toughness, and technical capability. The U.S. Army celebrates this milestone, and we at U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command are incredibly proud of him and the Army Astronaut program.â€
According to NASA, Artemis III's primary objectives for its mid-2027 flight are to test and validate commercial Human Landing Systems developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. The crewed mission will focus on critical docking operations between the Orion spacecraft and these HLS. It will also be an opportunity for NASA to conduct the first operational tests of Axiom Space's new extravehicular space suits in orbit.
NASA officials further stated Artemis III's flight will provide the flight experience and standardized vehicle configurations necessary to support subsequent cislunar operations. Data gathered from the orbit demonstration will directly clear the path for future crewed landings on the lunar South Pole and eventual human missions to Mars.
Rubio’s selection to the Artemis III crew is a direct reflection of the service’s commitment to the nation's space program and leadership in the space domain. His participation underscores the critical contributions that Soldiers with diverse operational and technical backgrounds provide to the nation’s most demanding missions. Rubio’s career exemplifies the caliber of personnel within Army ranks and ensures the Army’s legacy of leadership and technical excellence is represented at the forefront of human space exploration.
