Gerry Palmers Science 09.29.2022 01:Sep AM EDT

Italian Woman Takes Command of International Space Station

An Italian woman has taken over the reins in the International Space Station (ISS), after outgoing commander Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, on Wednesday ended his tenure.

The new commander, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, is the first European woman in charge of the orbiting space lab, Space.com reported.

Artemyev Says 'War Will End Everywhere' Handing Over Command to Cristoforetti

Artemyev remarked that "war will end everywhere" as he transferred the command of the ISS to Cristoforetti, who is the fifth European commander of the ISS, following Frank De Winne, Alexander Gerst, Luca Parmitano, and Thomas Pesquet.

The current International Space Station's (ISS) Expedition 67 mission has taken place as Russia invaded Ukraine, of which hostilities began in February. Media reports surfacing in recent days show that Russia is now turning to the conscription of soldiers amid sustained Ukrainian resistance.

Cristoforetti takes over the space station command as its various ISS partners are emphasizing the need to maintain space cooperation and understanding in spite of the conflicts on the ground. It is worth noting that SpaceX's Crew-5 mission to the ISS is set to launch next week will have a Russian cosmonaut aboard, which is a first for the private American crewed vehicle.

During Wednesday's change-of-command ceremony, Artemyev stressed that the ISS currently hosts ten people representing three countries: Russia, the United States, and Italy.

Artemyev underscored that despite the conflicts on Earth, "we continue our international cooperation." Artemyev then thanked God for "smart people who do not stop such a thread of peace," Artemyev said in Russian.

Cristoforetti's On-Board Duties at ISS

Cristoforetti will take charge of on-site crew activities in the ISS, which include crewmembers' optimal performance and well-being, assuring effective communication with ground teams on Earth, and overseeing crew response in case of emergencies. She will head Expedition 68, which officially starts when Artemyev and fellow cosmonauts Denis Matveev and Sergei Korsakov depart the SS early Thursday on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

The ISS is a multinational consortium consisting of the majority partners United States and Russia, and the ESA also plays a major yet slightly lesser role. ESA-Russian ties have soured due to the Ukraine invasion, and this delayed the life-searching ExoMars rover mission that was supposed to launch earlier this year, among other impacts.

Cristoforetti, 45, is a former Italian Air Force pilot and engineer and holds the record for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight by a European astronaut (199 days, 16 hours), and until June 2017 held the record for the longest single space flight by a woman until this was broken by Peggy Whitson and later by Christina Koch. Cristoforetti, who also performs yoga asanas in space, is also the first Italian woman launched to space.

Artemyev, 51, was about five years old during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which was a significant event that saw a thaw in the space race and Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was the last major human space collaboration between the nations until the space shuttle-Mir space station program, which happened amid the collapse of the Soviet Union and was an important starting ground for the ISS.