ROME (Sputnik) – Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli will participate in an expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for May 2017, President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) Roberto Battiston told reporters Thursday.
Italian Air Force Maj. Nespoli has been to ISS in 2007 and 2010, working over 174 days in space.
According to the head of the ASI, Nespoli was chosen to join the ISS team in 2017 due to the experience acquired in previous missions.
Nespoli is expected to represent the European Space Agency (ESA) at the ISS for six months. The astronaut will turn 60 before mission launch.
The ISS program is a joint project of five space agencies: the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Russia’s Roscosmos, the ESA, Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
