How astronaut Parmitano prepares for humanity’s return to the Moon

April 2026 marked the completion of Artemis II, the second mission in NASA’s programme to return humans to the Moon.

The endeavour was complex: it required a successful lift-off with the Space Launch System (SLS), one of the most powerful rockets ever built, and it took four astronauts farther away from Earth than any humans had ever been before.

But NASA's next step in its Moon programme, Artemis III, is no less critical. According to Jeremy Parsons, the Artemis programme manager, it can easily be considered “one of the most complex and ambitious missions NASA has ever undertaken”.

But what makes Artemis III so challenging, and how are its astronauts preparing for it?

Euronews asked Luca Parmitano, ESA astronaut selected as the pilot of this mission and the only European to be part of the crew.