On 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 — and within hours ESA's director general framed the
NASA has selected Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as the pilot for the Artemis 3 mission, marking the first time a European Space Agency astronaut has been assigned to an Artemis crew. The move is seen as part of a broader strategic negotiation to secure a European presence on the lunar surface.
Why it matters
This appointment signals a deepening of international cooperation in space exploration and the growing influence of the European Space Agency in lunar missions.
On 9 June 2026, inside a room at NASA s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the agency named the four people who will fly Artemis 3 — and one of them was not American.
The article provides a balanced view of the technical qualifications of the astronaut and the political motivations behind the selection.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in