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Health & Science4h 5m ago
NASA named Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as the pilot for the Artemis 3 mission, making him the first European Space Agency astronaut assigned to an Artemis crew.
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Houston, Johnson Space Center
Who
NASA, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s exploration chief Daniel Neuenschwander
What
NASA named Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as the pilot for the Artemis 3 mission, making him the first European Space Agency astronaut assigned to an Artemis crew.
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:43:24 GMT · 4h 5m ago
Where
Houston, Johnson Space Center ·
Why
Parmitano's assignment is seen by ESA as the first step in a negotiation to get a European astronaut onto the lunar surface.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This assignment signifies a deeper partnership between NASA and ESA, potentially leading to European astronauts participating in lunar surface missions and leveraging Europe's hardware contributions like the European Service Module.
Story chain
2 events in this thread- Health & Science4h 5m agoOn June 9, 2026, NASA named Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot of Artemis 3, making him the first European ever assigned to an Artemis crew.Open article
- Currently Reading4h 5m agoNASA named Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as the pilot for the Artemis 3 mission, making him the first European Space Agency astronaut assigned to an Artemis crew.