Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
On 9 June, NASA announced the crew for the Artemis III mission, which includes ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot. ESA is also providing its third European Service Module for this crewed test flight in Earth orbit, which will be key for the mission’s objective to test rendezvous and docking capabilities ahead of future lunar landing missions. Along with Luca, three NASA astronauts will fly on this mission: commander Randy Bresnik and lander specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas. The crew now begins a rigorous training schedule to learn the Orion spacecraft systems, as well as the operations of the human landing systems, to prepare for an ambitious series of demonstrations ahead of a Moon landing mission.
Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)
Access the video on the ESA video library: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/06/Artemis_III_NASA_announcement_highlights_Luca_Parmitano_assigned_as_pilot
Our main YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions
On 9 June, NASA announced the crew for the Artemis III mission, which includes ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot. ESA is also providing its third European Service Module for this crewed test flight in Earth orbit, which will be key for the mission’s objective to test rendezvous and docking capabilities ahead of future lunar landing missions. Along with Luca, three NASA astronauts will fly on this mission: commander Randy Bresnik and lander specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas. The crew now begins a rigorous training schedule to learn the Orion spacecraft systems, as well as the operations of the human landing systems, to prepare for an ambitious series of demonstrations ahead of a Moon landing mission.
Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)
Access the video on the ESA video library: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/06/Artemis_III_NASA_announcement_highlights_Luca_Parmitano_assigned_as_pilot
Our main YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions
