Humans are expected to walk on the Moon again in 2027, and Europe has now confirmed that its very first lunar traveller will come from Germany. The European Space Agency (ESA) revealed the plan during a major ministerial meeting in Bremen, marking a milestone moment for the continent’s role in deep-space exploration.
ESA Confirms German Astronaut Will Join Artemis Crew
ESA director general Josef Aschbacher told ministers that Europe’s debut lunar astronaut would be German.
“I have decided that the first Europeans to fly to the moon will be part of the Artemis programme,” he said. “We are looking for a German astronaut to join the crew.”
The decision ties Europe’s human-spaceflight future firmly to NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
Veteran ISS Astronauts Lead The Shortlist
ESA has not yet named the astronaut, but Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer are widely viewed as the front-runners. Both have completed missions to the International Space Station and have long been considered strong candidates for future deep-space flights.
Germany’s space minister Dorothee Bär welcomed the announcement, saying: “The director general has now decided that the first European is to be a German, and I’m very, very happy, very proud about that.”
Artemis Missions Gather Pace
Artemis II is scheduled to send three Americans and one Canadian around the Moon next spring. A year later, Artemis III is expected to deliver astronauts back to the lunar surface.
Europe has secured three seats across later Artemis flights, including the planned Artemis IV and V missions, which will transport crews to the Lunar Gateway, which is a new outpost orbiting the Moon that will support long-term exploration.
Published by Kerry Harrison
Kerry’s been writing professionally for over 14 years, after graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Canterbury Christ Church University. She joined Orbital Today in 2022. She covers everything from UK launch updates to how the wider space ecosystem is evolving. She enjoys digging into the detail and explaining complex topics in a way that feels straightforward. Before writing about space, Kerry spent years working with cybersecurity companies. She’s written a lot about threat intelligence, data protection, and how cyber and space are increasingly overlapping, whether that’s satellite security or national defence. With a strong background in tech writing, she’s used to making tricky, technical subjects more approachable. That mix of innovation, complexity, and real-world impact is what keeps her interested in the space sector.