Former Fort Carson-stationed battalion surgeon selected for NASA’s Artemis III Mission

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A former Fort Carson-stationed battalion surgeon has been selected as Mission Specialist 1 for the upcoming Artemis III mission. 

Officials confirm U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Col. Frank Rubio will join NASA Commander Randy Bresnik and Andre Douglas, as well as ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, on a mission to test systems required for cislunar operations. 

Rubio was stationed at Fort Carson before his selection by NASA in 2017 as a member of Astronaut Class 22, according to officials.

Rubio told military officials that he "was 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. 

The United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command says Rubio already 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."

Learn more: Army Astronaut Col. Frank Rubio Selected for NASA's Historic Artemis III Mission

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