NASA has selected Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano to pilot the Artemis III mission, making him the first European to be part of the US space agency’s flagship human spaceflight mission.
On Tuesday, NASA chief Jared Isaacman unveiled a four-member crew and a backup for the 2027 flight, which will test new lunar landers — not on the Moon as originally planned, but closer to home in Earth orbit.
Artemis III crew
NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik has been selected as mission commander, while Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio serve as mission specialists.
Three American astronauts and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Parmitano will practice docking their Orion capsule with two moon landers orbiting Earth.
NASA described the tests as challenging and necessary for Artemis IV, its first planned crewed mission to the lunar south pole in 2028.
NASA astronaut Bob Hines was designated as a backup crew member to be on standby in case of emergency.
NASA builds on Artemis II victory
Artemis III follows the success of the Artemis II mission two months earlier, when humans flew around the moon for the first time in five decades.
The April mission broke the distance record set by Apollo 13, the 1970 space flight.
“Today we are taking another bold step in humanity’s return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts,” said NASA Administrator Isaacman.
“The Artemis III astronauts, along with ESA and our international partners and thousands of the best and brightest across the agency and industry, are ushering in a new golden age of exploration, carrying forward the hopes and dreams of the next generation, just as the Apollo astronauts did for so many of us,” he said.
Who is Luca Parmitano?
Parmitano will be the second non-American member of the Artemis program, following the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen to fly on Artemis II.
The 49-year-old was selected as an astronaut by ESA in 2009. His track record includes two completed missions to the International Space Station (ISS).
Parmitano, who trained at the Italian Air Force Academy and worked as a test pilot, also completed the complex spacewalk.
On one such excursion in 2013, he met with a fatal accident on a planned six-hour spacewalk when a failure in the suit’s cooling system caused his helmet to fill with water.
He is also credited with presenting the first DJ set from space.
“I am honored, and also humbled, to be a part of this crew: my crewmates bring a wealth of different experiences, and I look forward to working with them, learning, and contributing as much as I can in my role,” Parmitano said in a statement after being named Artemis III lead pilot.
boost for Italy
Parmitano’s inclusion in NASA’s Artemis program is seen as a victory for Italy as the agency’s other international partners eye new roles.
In a statement, Teodoro Valente, president of the Italian space agency, said the selection of Parmitano for Artemis III “confirms and enhances the role and capabilities of the European and Italian space systems in the human exploration of the universe.”
Edited by: Natalie Muller
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