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  "path": "/science/space-news-european-astronaut-lunar-mission-first-time-artemis-moon-landing",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-10T09:24:11.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Astronauts told to prepare for urgent ISS evacuation after air leak",
    "Spectacular Southern Lights display captured on camera by Nasa astronaut in space",
    "Nasa declares Mars orbiter ‘unrecoverable’ after scanning mysterious interstellar object",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nA European astronaut is set to join Nasa's lunar mission for the first time ahead of a planned Moon landing in 2028.\n\nCol Luca Parmitano has made history as the inaugural European Space Agency astronaut chosen for Nasa's Artemis programme.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe 49-year-old Italian, who previously served as a test pilot in his country's air force, will fly alongside three American astronauts on the Artemis III mission to evaluate lunar landing vehicles.\n\nHis crewmates include Nasa's Randy Bresnik as commander, with Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio serving as mission specialists.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nFollowing the announcement, Col Parmitano said: \"I am honoured by the role that I have been given. I am very humbled by the task in front of us. I am very grateful.\"\n\nCol Parmitano's selection comes despite a terrifying brush with death during his first spacewalk in 2013, when he became the first Italian to conduct an extravehicular activity from the International Space Station.\n\nThe assignment was abruptly terminated when coolant from his suit's system began leaking into his helmet, flooding his face with water.\n\n\"I couldn't breathe through my nose,\" he recalled, likening the sensation to being a \"goldfish inside a fish bowl\".\n\nWith liquid spreading across his nostrils and his vision obscured, the astronaut was forced to navigate back to the airlock using only his safety tether as a guide.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe returned to the ISS in 2018, where he became the first Italian to command the orbital outpost, working alongside Christina Koch, who recently flew on the Artemis II mission.\n\nJosef Aschbacher, ESA's director general, praised the astronaut's composure during the 2013 emergency.\n\nMr Aschbacher said: \"His helmet began to fill with water, a dangerous situation by any standard, and he handled it with calm and clarity and brought himself back safely.\n\n\"I am sure he brings a touch of Italian ease to the cockpit. We could not have wished for a better pilot.\"\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Astronauts told to prepare for urgent ISS evacuation after air leak\n  * Spectacular Southern Lights display captured on camera by Nasa astronaut in space\n  * Nasa declares Mars orbiter ‘unrecoverable’ after scanning mysterious interstellar object\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nNasa revealed fresh details of the Artemis III mission on Tuesday, outlining an intricate choreography involving both commercial space companies.\n\nJeff Bezos's Blue Origin will launch its Blue Moon lander first, which will wait in orbit for the crew's arrival aboard the Orion spacecraft, departing from Kennedy Space Centre.\n\nAfter docking with Blue Moon for two days of testing, Orion will separate and rendezvous with Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship for an additional day of demonstrations.\n\nThe entire mission is expected to span approximately a fortnight, concluding with a Pacific Ocean splashdown.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBoth lunar landers face significant obstacles; however, neither launch system is currently operational following a series of setbacks.\n\nBlue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded last week, just seven days after SpaceX's booster rocket plunged into the sea.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration has grounded SpaceX's Starship after its super-heavy booster veered off course and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, triggering an investigation.\n\nNasa administrator Jared Isaacman acknowledged the difficulties in a staff email, writing: \"I am sure it is not lost on anyone how this situation could potentially impact our Artemis and Moon base ambitions.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "European astronaut to join lunar mission for first time ahead of planned Moon landing in two years"
}