Samantha Cristoforetti, 45-year old Italian astronaut, is soon going to become the Commander of the International Space Station, the international research lab orbiting around Earth. She will be the first ever European woman to cover this role. On September 28th, an official ceremony with the passing of the title from her predecessor, Oleg Artemyev, will take place. It will be live-streamed on the European Space Agency’s channels.

Cristoforetti, also known as AstroSamantha on social media, has become in recent years a beloved public figure in the country. Part of her success amongst public opinion is also due to her active social media presence, where she shares photos and videos meant to inform and involve the public, and especially young generations, in the station’s activities and on life in space.