NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is a member of the Artemis Team, a select group of astronauts charged with focusing on the development and training efforts for early Artemis missions.
Dr. Frank Rubio was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. He reported for duty in August 2017 and having completed the initial astronaut candidate training is now eligible for a mission assignment. The Florida native graduated from the U.S. Military Academy and earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Prior to attending medical school, he served as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot and flew more than 1,100 hours, including more than 600 hours of combat and imminent danger time during deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Rubio is a board certified family physician and flight surgeon. At the time of his selection, he was serving in the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Rubio served as a platoon leader in A Company, 2-82nd Assault Aviation (REDHAWKS), and as a company commander in A Company, 2-3rd Aviation (STORM). Rubio also served as a clinic supervisor, an executive medicine provider and a flight surgeon at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. At the time of his selection in June 2017, Rubio was a battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in the U.S. Army.
Rubio has been awarded the Bronze Star (second award), Meritorious Service Medal (second award), Army Commendation Medal (fourth award), and Army Achievement Medal (fourth award). He is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College, US Army Aviation Captain’s Career Course and Officer Basic Course, Joint Firepower Control Course, Cavalry Leader’s Course, and the US Army Flight Surgeon Course. He has earned the US Army Senior Aviator, Pathfinder, Air Assault, and Airborne badges.
Through the Artemis program, NASA and a coalition of international partners will return to the Moon to learn how to live on other worlds for the benefit of all. With Artemis missions NASA will send the first woman and the next man to the Moon in 2024 and about once per year thereafter.
Through the efforts of humans and robots, we will explore more of the Moon than ever before; to lead a journey of discovery that benefits our planet with life-changing science, to use the Moon and its resources as a technology testbed to go even farther and to learn how to establish and sustain a human presence far beyond Earth.
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