Andrea Patassa

Andrea Patassa (born 1991) is an Italian test pilot and astronaut. He holds the rank of captain in the Italian Air Force and serves at the Italian Air Force's Reparto Sperimentale di Volo in Pratica di Mare. He is a member of the astronaut reserve for the 2022 European Space Agency Astronaut Group.

Early life and education Patassa grew up in the town Spoleto, in the province of Perugia of central Italy. He attended liceo scientifico Alessandro Volta, in Spoleto.

In 2010, Patassa joined the Italian Air Force and attended the Accademia Aeronautica in Pozzuoli. He completed a master's degree in Aeronautical Science at the University of Naples Federico II. In 2014, he studied abroad at the French Air Force Academy in Salon-de-Provence.

Career Patassa completed the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard Air Force Base of the U.S. armed forces in Texas. He earned his military pilot licence from the Italian air force in 2017. In 2022, he graduated as a test pilot from the USAF Test Pilot School at the Edwards Air Force Base in California, U.S.