![\"Parmitano](\"https:\/\/theaviationist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/artemis-iii-460x259.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
NASA has announced the four-member crew<\/a> assigned to the Artemis III mission, selecting Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as the mission\u2019s pilot. The selection makes Parmitano the first European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut assigned to NASA\u2019s Artemis program.<\/p>\n The announcement was made on June 9, 2026, at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center, and follows the participation of Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen to Artemis II<\/a>. Parmitano will join NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, who will serve as mission commander, alongside mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, while Bob Hines will be the designated backup crew member.<\/p>\n Introducing Artemis III.<\/p>\n Four astronauts. Three launches. Two dockings. One splashdown.<\/p>\n In 2027, the Artemis III mission will practice docking the Orion spacecraft with two lunar landers in low Earth orbit \u2014 the capability we need to return humanity to the Moon\u2019s surface. pic.twitter.com\/8uhMUxuuWX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NASA (@NASA) June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The assignment marks a milestone for both Europe and Italy, further reinforcing the European participation in the Artemis program. In fact, Europe has been supporting the program since the earlier stages, supplying, among all things, the European Service Module (ESM) that powers the Orion spacecraft<\/a> during the Artemis missions.<\/p>\n An Italian Air Force Colonel, test pilot, and veteran astronaut, Parmitano was selected by ESA in 2009 and has accumulated 366 days in space across two long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station<\/a> (ISS). During his second mission in 2019, he became the first Italian and the third European astronaut to assume command the ISS.<\/p>\n \ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n His career includes six extravehicular activities (EVAs), also commonly known as \u201cspacewalks,\u201d of which two during his first ISS mission and four during the second. Parmitano is also known for dealing with a dangerous spacesuit water leak during a 2013 EVA, his second overall, an incident that prompted important safety improvements for future spacewalks.<\/p>\n While in the U.S., Parmitano has been the ESA liaison at the Johnson Space Center, CapCom (Capsule Communicator) and EVA instructor. Additionally, he also took part in the Underway Recovery Test 12 which simulated the Artemis recovery operations off the Californian coast.<\/p>\n Proud to continue our partnership with @esa<\/a> as Luca Parmitano joins the Artemis III crew.<\/p>\n Great things happen when trusted partners come together around bold goals. Together, Artemis III will prove the capabilities and operational rhythm needed for the next era of lunar\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/BXz3YpiwJS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n After initially flying operationally in the Italian Air Force on the A-11 AMX<\/a>, Parmitano graduated as an Experimental Test Pilot at EPNER, the French test pilot school in Istres. During his career, he has accumulated over 2,000 flight hours on over 40 types of aircraft.<\/p>\n In 2020,\u00a0The Aviationist<\/em> had the opportunity to interview Luca Parmitano about his experience as a pilot in the Italian Air Force and as an astronaut. You can find it here<\/a> (in English) or embedded at the end of this story (in Italian).<\/p>\n Parmitano\u2019s selection also reflects the European effort and investment in NASA\u2019s lunar exploration plans<\/a>. Europe is in fact continuing its long-standing cooperation with NASA, which already sees an important cooperation with the International Space Station.<\/p>\n ESA secured heavily invested in Orion, most notably the European Service Module (ESM), which provides propulsion, electrical power, thermal regulation, and life-support support functions for every Artemis mission. Built by Airbus Defence and Space on behalf of ESA, the ESM has become one of Europe\u2019s most significant contributions to the Artemis program and one of the largest industrial partnerships between Europe and the U.S. in the space sector.<\/p>\n The selection also comes at a time when lunar exploration is increasingly viewed through a geopolitical lens. Replicating the ISS model, through the Artemis program and the Artemis Accords<\/a>, the U.S. assembled a coalition of international partners committed to a common framework for future exploration beyond Earth orbit.<\/p>\n Ambitious is what we do at NASA.<\/p>\n Artemis III will be unlike anything we\u2019ve ever undertaken. A multi-launch campaign bringing together the most powerful rockets in the world to test rendezvous, docking, and interoperability across multiple systems close to Earth before we return\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/wzYoDpiXyv<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) June 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Europe has emerged as one of the leading contributors to that effort, providing both technological capabilities and financial investment. Parmitano is only the first European astronaut that will now join the effort, with more already in the plans for future missions.<\/p>\n Parmitano\u2019s selection also highlights Italy\u2019s longstanding contribution to international human spaceflight. The country has a long tradition in the orbital flight, becoming in 1964 the third nation in the world<\/a>, after the U.S. and the Soviet Unition, to independently operate a space launch site and the fifth to launch its own satellite, called San Marco 1.<\/p>\n Over the past three decades, Italian industry has played a central role in the development of crewed spaceflight infrastructure. Through Thales Alenia Space Italia, Italy became one of the leading contributors to the International Space Station, manufacturing major pressurized elements including Harmony (Node 2), Tranquility (Node 3), the Cupola observation module, and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules used during Space Shuttle operations.<\/p>\n That expertise is now being carried forward into the Artemis era. Thales Alenia Space was a key contributor to the Lunar Gateway program, providing major structural elements for modules such as HALO and the Lunar I-Hab habitat being developed for ESA. After the cancellation of Gateway<\/a>, NASA signed a new agreement with Italy to cooperate in building the future moon base.<\/p>\n We\u2019re building a Moon Base! Join us at 2pm ET on Tuesday, May 26, for a live news event where we\u2019ll share updates on our lunar exploration plans: https:\/\/t.co\/IJXA7xYwju<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/jAnkXDg3NY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NASA (@NASA) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The result is a remarkable continuity across generations of exploration programs: Italian-built modules helped sustain human presence in low-Earth orbit aboard the ISS, Italian-built elements will support future operations on the Moon\u2019s surface, and now an Italian astronaut has become the first European assigned to an Artemis mission.<\/p>\n Earlier plans envisioned the Artemis III as the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17. The mission, to be launched in 2027, has now evolved to be focused on validating technologies required for future lunar surface operations.<\/p>\n According to NASA, the crew will launch aboard Orion and conduct rendezvous and docking demonstrations with commercial lunar landing systems, Starship and Blue Moon, being developed by SpaceX<\/a> and Blue Origin, respectively. The mission is intended to verify procedures, software, propulsion interfaces, and life-support systems before astronauts attempt future lunar landing missions.<\/p>\n Blue Moon will be the first to launch, followed by Orion and the four astronauts. The two spacecraft will dock for about two days, allowing the astronauts to conduct tests with Blue Moon.<\/p>\n Blue Moon hooking up with Orion pic.twitter.com\/6rR0iqqMzR<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Europe\u2019s First Artemis Astronaut<\/h3>\n
\n
Europe and Artemis<\/h3>\n
![\"Artemis](\"http:\/\/theaviationist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/artemis2cover-706x397.jpg\")
<\/a>\n
Italy\u2019s Involvement in Space Flight<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theaviationist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/artemis-iii-announcement-706x471.jpg\")
<\/a>\n
\n@NASAMoonBase<\/a> will serve as a habitat where astronauts live and work during long-term science missions.<\/p>\nArtemis III<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theaviationist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ISS-61_EVA-4_f_Luca_Parmitano_attached_to_the_Canadarm2-706x471.jpg\")
<\/a>\n