Europe is not trailing behind the US and China in space exploration, and is actually playing a leading role in the Artemis II programme, which is pushing to send a crewed mission to the moon, a top European astronaut told Euronews.
Luca Parmitano is a member of the European Astronaut Corps for the European Space Agency (ESA) and was the first Italian and third European to command the International Space Station (ISS) during a mission in 2019/2020.
"That's an assessment I thoroughly agree with. I don't believe Europe is at all laggging behind in this context. On the contrary, we're positioned at the forefront," he said when inquired if Europe was falling behind the US and China, drawing on his enthusiasm for the Artemis II mission.
Artemis II is led by NASA and is partnered by the ESA and will include the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft. Scheduled to take place no earlier than April 2026, the mission will send four astronauts on a lunar flyby and back to Earth, marking the first time a crew has traveled beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
We're at the forefront of innovation with several remarkable projects," Parmitano said, noting: "The Lunar Gateway, a space station orbiting the moon, is being constructed almost entirely in Europe. I think it's fair to say we have distinct expertise in space-related projects.
The Artemis II will be the first step that will enable European astronauts to consider flying towards the moon: first to the Gateway, and then possibly one day on the surface of the moon, he said.
“Personally, as a 2009 alumna of the astronaut corps with only two spaceflights under my belt on the International Space Station, I'm eagerly anticipating the prospect of a future mission to the Gateway,” said Parmitano, who is also a Colonel and test pilot for the Italian Air Force.
"Europe is the driving force behind the Orion spacecraft, providing the European Service module. This puts us in an ideal position. We're on track to send astronauts to the Lunar Gateway and eventually to the lunar surface soon," he said.
Parmitano said: "It's too early to discuss human exploration on Mars' surface, and we're simply not yet prepared for that," he further emphasized: "We must broaden our horizons and be realistic."
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He also became the first astronaut to perform a deejay set in space. "Every now and then it's also nice to get yourself out of the comfort zone and do something completely different up there on the space station," he said at the time, "It was really crazy."
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