NASA picks first European astronaut for Artemis mission
Key takeaways
- Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano will be the lead pilot for the Artemis III test flight.
- On Tuesday, NASA chief Jared Isaacman unveiled a four-member crew and a backup for the 2027 flight that will test new lunar landers — not on the moon as originally planned, but closer to home in Earth's orbit.
- NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik has been picked as the mission commander, with Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio serving as mission specialists.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano will be the lead pilot for the Artemis III test flight. The NASA mission is expected to launch in 2027 to test technology for a future moon landing.
https://p.dw.com/p/5F6ls Parmitano said he was 'honored' to be picked for the Artemis program Image: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA POOL/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement NASA has tapped Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano to pilot the Artemis III mission, making him the first European to be a part of the US space agency's key human spaceflight campaign.
On Tuesday, NASA chief Jared Isaacman unveiled a four-member crew and a backup for the 2027 flight that will test new lunar landers — not on the moon as originally planned, but closer to home in Earth's orbit.