The 49-year-old Sicilian, from Paternò, was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009 and became the first Italian to command the International Space Station. He will join the Artemis III crew as pilot, making him the only non-American astronaut on the mission.
Scheduled for the second half of 2027, Artemis III will not travel to the Moon itself. Instead, the mission will test critical rendezvous and docking procedures in Earth orbit between NASA’s Orion spacecraft and one or more commercially developed lunar landers. The flight is part of a revised Artemis strategy designed to pave the way for future crewed lunar landings.
The mission will be commanded by veteran NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, while Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas will serve as mission specialists. Douglas was previously selected as a backup crew member for Artemis II.
Parmitano’s selection represents a historic achievement for both Italy and the European Space Agency, placing Europe at the heart of NASA’s next phase of lunar exploration.
