Special to WorldTribune, June 12, 2026 Real World News
Geostrategy-Direct, June 9, 2026
By Richard Fisher
The 54-year record of NASA- European Space Agency (ESA) cooperation is impressive, covering Skylab, the Hubble Space Telescope and its successor the Webb Space Telescope, and 26 individual Europeans have flown on NASA missions; 20 on Space Shuttle flights, 12 to the International Space Station.
On June 9 NASA revealed the crew for the Artemis-III mission: (left to right), Mission Commander Randy Bresnik; Mission Pilot Luca Parmintano; Mission Specialist Frank Rubio; and Mission Specialist Dr. Andre Douglas. / NASA
Back on Earth in 2026, however, frictions between Europe and the Trump Administration abound, from U.S. fury over North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies non-involvement in the war against Iran, their slow increases in defense spending, while Europe fumes over U.S. tariffs, regular threats to diminish military commitments, leading to fears of U.S. abandonment — all of which increase calls in Europe for greater autonomy from Washington.
The European Union (EU) and the (ESA) are now investing heavily in the development of new heavy-lift space launch vehicles, new sovereign space communication systems, expanded Earth observation capabilities, new in-orbit servicing capabilities to extend the lives of satellites, and new space situational awareness capabilities — all of which will reduce their dependence on the United States in space.
While ESA officials have been disappointed in NASA’s decision to “pause” the Gateway small lunar space station to which European companies would have been major contractors, ESA will still be building the European Service Module (ESM) that will power all Orion manned spaceships.
But at a time when U.S. assurance was required, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s June 9 NASA crew reveal and briefing for the Artemis-III mission in 2027, signaled a new “apogee” for NASA-ESA cooperation, demonstrating to the 67 nation signatories to the Artemis Accords that there is a chance that they can send their people to the Moon.
In the crew line up announced by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, to include: Mission Commander Randy Bresnik (58), a two space mission veteran (Space Shuttle and International Space Station, ISS) former U.S. Marine F/A-18 pilot; Mission Specialist Frank Rubio (50), a 370-day ISS veteran and former U.S. Army helicopter pilot; and Mission Specialist Dr. Andre Douglas (40), backup for the Artemis-II mission and U.S. Coast Guard veteran.
In addition, the Artemis-III Mission Pilot will be Luca Parmitano (49), a veteran of two ISS missions, with six space walks, as an astronaut with the European Space Agency, a former Colonel and test pilot with the Italian Air Force.
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