An Italian test pilot will take the controls of NASA's Orion spacecraft for the first time. ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano has been named the pilot for the Artemis III mission, making him the first European to fly the capsule that will eventually return humans to the Moon.
The announcement came from NASA on 9 June. Parmitano will fly alongside three NASA astronauts: commander Randy Bresnik and lander specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas.
A European hand on the stick of Orion
Artemis III will not land on the Moon. Instead, the crew will test how Orion connects with elements of a future lunar landing system while still in Earth orbit. Parmitano will handle the rendezvous and docking manoeuvres with two lunar landing system pathfinders. That puts a European astronaut behind the wheel of a spacecraft powered by a European-built engine module.
ESA provides the European Service Module, which serves as Orion's powerhouse. It supplies air and water for the crew, generates electricity through four European-built solar arrays, and uses 33 engines for propulsion. These systems make the precise movements required for Artemis III possible and demonstrate technologies needed for later lunar surface missions.
From the Italian Air Force to the Moon's doorstep
Parmitano was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009. He has spent 366 days in space across two long missions to the International Space Station. During those flights he supported hundreds of scientific experiments, performed six spacewalks totalling more than 30 hours, and became the first Italian commander of the orbital outpost.
After returning to Earth, Parmitano worked at NASA's Johnson Space Center as ESA's liaison officer in Houston. He served as CAPCOM, the person who communicates directly with astronauts in orbit, and helped train crews in spacewalks and robotics. Last year he took part in an Artemis II recovery test, rehearsing how astronauts will be brought safely back to Earth after Orion splashes down.
Before joining ESA, Parmitano was a test pilot in the Italian Air Force. He logged more than 2000 flying hours on over 40 types of aircraft. That experience will be put to use during Artemis III.
What this means for Italy and Europe
Speaking at the crew reveal event in Houston, Parmitano said he was honoured by the role and humbled by the task ahead. He credited his home country, Italy, and its education system as the launch pad for his career.
For Italy, this appointment places one of its citizens at the centre of humanity's next major space endeavour. For Europe, it marks the first time an ESA astronaut will pilot NASA's Orion spacecraft, a vehicle that relies on European technology for power, life support, and propulsion.
