On 9 June, NASA announced the crew for the Artemis III mission, naming ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot. He will fly alongside three NASA astronauts: commander Randy Bresnik and lander specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas.
Artemis III will see the crew prepare for future Moon landings by testing how Orion connects with elements of a lunar landing system in Earth orbit. Luca Parmitano will take the controls of Orion to carry out rendezvous and docking manoeuvres with two lunar landing system pathfinders – placing a European behind the wheel of the spacecraft’s European Service Module.
ESA is providing the European Service Module, the powerhouse of NASA’s Orion spacecraft. It provides air and water for the crew, generates electrical power through four European-built solar arrays, and provides propulsion via its 33 engines. These capabilities enable the precise manoeuvres needed for Artemis III, demonstrating the technologies that will take astronauts to the lunar surface.
Selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009, Luca has spent 366 days in space across two long-duration missions to the International Space Station, during which he supported hundreds of scientific experiments, carried out six spacewalks logging more than 30 hours, and became the first Italian commander of the orbital outpost.
Since returning to Earth, Luca has worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center as ESA’s liaison officer in Houston, serving as CAPCOM and supporting astronaut training in spacewalks and robotics. He also took part in an Artemis II recovery test last year to rehearse the recovery of astronauts safely to the ground after Orion splashes down.
Before joining ESA, Luca was a test pilot in the Italian Air Force, logging more than 2000 flying hours on over 40 types of aircraft – experience that he will need for Artemis III.
Luca Parmitano spoke at the crew reveal event in Houston: “I am honoured by the role that I’ve been given. I’m also very humbled by the task in front of us. But first and foremost, I am grateful. There are many parts that need to come together for a space launch. You need a launch pad – for me, that launch pad is my country Italy, its education system, the Italian Air Force that gave me the professionals tools to bring me here today, and the Italian Space Agency that gave me the first flight to put those skills to proof, and for that I am very grateful. The European Space Agency is like a launch tower, connecting two worlds… its very nature is to build relationships, bridges, connections, and to elevate individuals to achieve their full potential. The rocket, figuratively and literally, is NASA – I am grateful that NASA is allowing me to be a part of this incredible group of people, this crew, and for letting me fly.”