The first European to fly to the Moon will be an astronaut from Germany
According to Germany's Minister for Research, Technology, and Space, Dorothee Bär, the European Space Agency chose a German, even though representatives from France and Italy also vied for participation in the mission, writes Deutsche Welle.
A picture of the Moon taken during the "Artemis-2" mission. Photo: NASA
Two German astronauts are named among the main candidates: 49-year-old Alexander Gerst — a geophysicist and volcanologist, and 56-year-old Matthias Maurer — an engineer and spaceflight participant. But the final decision has not yet been made.
The flight is expected to take place as early as 2028. This is related to the US plans to return humans to the Moon as part of a new space program. The successful "Artemis-2" mission was recently completed, during which astronauts orbited the Moon and set a record for distance from Earth.
Thus, Europe will for the first time have the opportunity to send its representative to the Moon in the coming years.