Italy's Villadei in space on Axiom mission

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 19 - Italian Air Force colonel and pilot Walter Villadei is in orbit after blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday as part of four-strong European crew on the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3).
    Run by the private Axiom Space entity, it is first all-European commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
    The mission's Dragon spacecraft is set to dock at the ISS early on Saturday.
    European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Marcus Wandt from Sweden, Alper GezeravcÕ from Turkey and Michael López-Alegría, a dual US-Spanish citizen, are also in the crew.
    Villadei has extensive experience in Italian space programs, including multiple assignments as a member of the scientific committee of the Italian Space Agency and national representative for the European Commission for the Space Surveillance and Tracking Program. (ANSA).