Latest news with #Parmitano
Euronews
19-02-2025
- Science
- Euronews
The future of space exploration with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced a delay in the Artemis II mission, which aims to send four astronauts around the Moon and back to Earth, on December 5. Originally scheduled for September this year, Artemis II has been postponed due to technical issues with the heat shield of the Orion capsule, which is critical to bringing the crew back to Earth. Artemis II is the second phase of NASA's Artemis programme, which first started in December 2017. This mission aims to bring humans back to the Moon, a place that NASA has not been since Apollo 17 in 1972. What will this latest Artemis mission entail, what role does Europe play in it, and how does this mission fit into today's space exploration landscape? Euronews Tech Talks put these questions to the European Space Agency (ESA)'s astronaut Luca Parmitano, former commander of the International Space Station (ISS) who is now serving as the liaison officer between the European Astronaut Centre and the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, United States. The Artemis mission In November 2022, NASA launched Artemis I, the first mission of the Artemis programme designed to pave the way for human spaceflight back to the Moon. "Artemis I was launched on the Space Launch System, with the Orion spacecraft, full of instruments and experiments to make sure we could go around the Moon and test the spacecraft," Parmitano explained. NASA's uncrewed Artemis I was a test flight. It lasted 25 days and was largely successful. Once the technical issues with the Orion's heat shield are solved, a crew of four astronauts will embark on Artemis II, travelling around the Moon. To enable a future Moon landing, the next step in the mission involves building the Lunar Gateway, a space station about one-third the size of the ISS, but this time built around the Moon. "It will be our destination, from which we will go to the surface of the Moon," Parmitano explained. To reach the surface of the Moon, astronauts will use a lunar lander, connecting the natural satellite to the Gateway. Using this lander, Parmitano stressed that astronauts will be able to travel from the Earth to the Gateway and then from the Gateway to the surface of the Moon in a sustainable way. Thanks to this complex structure, astronauts seek to explore a new part of the Moon. "We expect water to be in solid form in some of the areas that are constantly in shade, and we intend to explore the South Pole to verify this hypothesis," he explained. Europe's role in the Artemis mission In order to succeed in this mission, NASA has been working in partnership with ESA. ESA's central contribution to the Artemis mission is the European Service Module, a cylindrical unit providing electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen while keeping the Orion's spacecraft at the right temperature. Building a space station around the Moon has been one of Europe's unique capabilities. Luca Parmitano ESA Astronaut "You cannot live in the spacecraft without an engine, without a life support system, without electricity to power the engine and without computers and navigation systems, and all that is part of the European Service Module," Parmitano explained. "Building a space station around the Moon has been one of Europe's unique capabilities". Beyond the Moon The Moon, however, is not the only destination astronauts are aiming for. During his inaugural address on January 20, US President Donald Trump pledged to send American astronauts to Mars. Parmitano seemed excited about the prospect, but he advocated for a more gradual approach to the adventure. "I think eventually we'll get there, and the sooner we talk about it the better it is, but I like the incremental approach of the European Space Agency [ESA]. We take one step at a time," he said. A system to fly to the Moon and a system to fly to Mars are exponentially more complex, it's a completely different deal. Luca Parmitano "A system to fly to the Moon and a system to fly to Mars are exponentially more complex, it's a completely different deal". To back his scepticism, Parmitano pointed out that while the International Space Station is 400 km from the Earth and the Moon is 400,000 km, Mars is much more distant, as it is 400,000,000 km away. Leaving aside the space agencies' objectives for the future, what does Parmitano wish for his professional future?
Euronews
30-01-2025
- Science
- Euronews
ESA lead astronaut – Europe on front seat to the moon
Europe is not lagging behind the US and China on space exploration and is taking a front seat on the Artemis II programme which is seeking to send a crewed mission to the moon, a leading European astronaut has told Euronews. Luca Parmitano is in 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 an expedition in 2019/2020. 'I don't think we are lagging behind at all… we are on the front seat,' he said when asked whether Europe was trailing the US and China, citing his excitement at the prospect of the Artemis II mission. Artemis II is led by NASA and partnered by the ESA and will include the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft. The mission is scheduled to take place no earlier than April 2026. Four astronauts are intended to carry out a flyby of the Moon and return to Earth, becoming the first crew to travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. 'We [in Europe] have some incredibly innovative projects where we are really advanced,' Parmitano said, adding: 'Let's not forget that the Lunar Gateway, the space station that we're building around the moon is built almost entirely here in Europe. So I would say that we have some unique expertise.' Artemis II 'will be the opening statement that will allow European astronauts to start thinking about flying towards the moon: first to the Gateway, and then one day also in the long term on the surface of the moon', he said. 'Personally, as a 2009 class astronaut, [with] only two flights behind my back on the International Space Station. I'm really looking forward to a potential flight to the Gateway,' said Parmitano, who is also a Colonel and test pilot for the Italian Air Force. 'So Europe provides the only engine to Orion, the European Service module. So we are right there. We will have astronauts going to the Lunar Gateway and to the surface in the near future,' he said. Parmitano said 'it's really too early to talk about human exploration on the surface of Mars because we are just not ready yet', adding: 'We have to dream big and be realistic.' During his six-month stint on the ISS, Parmitano shared his experiences on board with Euronews through his Space Chronicles. 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 [when on the space station],' he said at the time, 'It was really crazy.'
