ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will soon assume the role of Commander of the International Space Station, succeeding Expedition 67 member Oleg Artemyev.
Samantha Cristoforetti in a photo taken last April.
(dpa) Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will soon become the first woman from Europe to be commander of the ISS space station. “I am honored to be appointed to the Commander post and look forward to drawing on the experience I have had in space and on Earth to lead a very capable team in orbit,” said Esa Cristoforetti, quoted by the European Space Agency in a statement on Wednesday. The astronaut is scheduled to take over the post in two weeks.
When Cristoforetti receives the key from the previous commander at the symbolic handover ceremony on September 28, she will be the fifth person from Europe to hold the post. Before her, among others, the German astronaut Alexander Gerst was commander. Among other things, commanders on the space station have to ensure that the crew sticks together and that cooperation with colleagues on Earth works well. According to Esa, Cristoforetti will also prepare the handover to the next team of astronauts on the ISS.