Italian European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano will be the first European to take part in NASA's Artemis programme, US space agency NASA's chief Jared Isaacman announced on Tuesday.
Parmitano, 49, will be one of four astronauts on Artemis 3, Isaacman said. It is expected to launch in 2027.
However, the spacecraft is not expected to go to the Moon but only into the Earth's orbit for tests.
The crew is also to include US astronauts Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik, with Bob Hines on standby as a backup in an emergency.
Unlike originally planned, no Moon landing is envisaged on Artemis 3. Instead, the docking of the Orion spacecraft with lunar landing systems is to be tested.
With the Artemis programme, NASA is aiming for a permanent presence on the Moon.
