NASA has selected Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as the lead pilot for the Artemis III mission, making him the first European to join the US space agency's key human spaceflight campaign. The crew was announced Tuesday by NASA chief Jared Isaacman for the 2027 flight, which will test new lunar landers in Earth orbit rather than on the Moon as originally planned.

The four-member crew includes NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik as mission commander, with Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio serving as mission specialists. Along with Parmitano from the European Space Agency (ESA), they will practice docking their Orion capsule with two moon landers. NASA described the tests as challenging and essential for Artemis IV, the first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole in 2028. NASA astronaut Bob Hines was named as backup.

The Artemis III mission follows the successful Artemis II mission two months ago, which saw humans fly around the Moon for the first time in over five decades, breaking the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. Isaacman stated: "Today we take another bold step in humanity's return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts."

Parmitano, 49, was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009. He has completed two missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and performed complex spacewalks. In 2013, he survived a near-fatal incident when his helmet filled with water due to a cooling system failure. He is also known for performing the first-ever DJ set from space.

Parmitano's inclusion is seen as a win for Italy. Italian Space Agency President Teodoro Valente said the selection "confirms and enhances the role and capabilities of the European and Italian space system in the human exploration of the universe."

Source: www.dw.com