Luca PARMITANO

Luca Parmitano, born on September 27, 1976, in Paternò, Italy, is an accomplished Italian astronaut with a distinguished career in both the Italian Air Force and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Luca's educational journey began at the Liceo Scientifico Statale 'Galileo Galilei' in Catania, where he graduated in 1995. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in political sciences from the University of Naples Federico II in 1999, with a thesis on international law. Following this, he completed his training at the Italian Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli in 2000. Furthering his aviation expertise, Luca trained with the US Air Force at the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program in Texas, earning his wings in 2001. Over the next several years, he specialized in various aspects of military aviation, including qualifications as an Electronic Warfare Officer and Tactical Leadership training.

Luca's journey into space began when he was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. His first mission, 'Volare,' launched on May 28, 2013, where he spent 166 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). During this mission, Luca conducted over 20 experiments, participated in two spacewalks, and managed the docking of four spacecraft. His performance during this mission earned him recognition as a 'Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica' by the President of Italy in 2013.

Luca's second space mission, dubbed 'Beyond,' commenced on July 20, 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. During this 201-day mission, Luca took on the prestigious role of ISS commander for Expedition 61, making him the first Italian to hold this position. He also conducted a series of complex spacewalks to repair the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02), bringing his total time spent on spacewalks to 33 hours and 9 minutes over six spacewalks. Beyond his technical contributions, Luca engaged with global audiences through unique initiatives such as the first-ever live DJ session from space.

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2024

14-18 October 2024

Milan, Italy

Participation: