4 astronauts were selected by NASA for the Artemis III mission, and 1 of them has deep roots in South Florida

NASA has announced the four astronauts selected for the Artemis III mission, and one of them has deep South Florida roots.

Frank Rubio, a graduate of Miami Sunset Senior High School in Miami-Dade County, has been named a mission specialist for Artemis III, NASA's next crewed mission designed to advance the agency's plans for future lunar exploration.

Rubio is no stranger to spaceflight. The Army lieutenant colonel launched on his first mission to space in 2022 and spent more than a year in orbit, setting a record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut.

Now, Rubio is preparing for his next assignment as part of the Artemis program.

The four-person Artemis III crew will orbit Earth aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft and conduct operations designed to prepare for future missions to the moon. NASA says the astronauts will practice docking procedures involving lunar landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.

The mission is considered a critical step toward a possible lunar landing in 2028.

"We're here to support and do our part, and someday we'll get our chance," Rubio told CBS News Miami in 2020 after graduating as part of NASA's first Artemis astronaut class.

That chance has now arrived.

Rubio has served for more than 28 years as an Army aviator, physician and astronaut. Throughout his career, he has helped support NASA's efforts to expand human space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

NASA hopes to launch Artemis III by the middle of 2027. Engineers are continuing work on the Orion spacecraft this summer, including installing a new docking system and conducting heat shield testing ahead of the mission.