Born April 1974 in Rome, Italy, Walter Villadei is a colonel in the Italian Air Force (ItAF) and is currently the head of ItAF’s representative office in the U.S., overseeing commercial spaceflight initiatives. He 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.
Villadei has served as a flight engineer on the C-130J and G-222, and flew on the MB339 and Eurofighter Typhoon (EFA). The EFA-2000 is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter jet designed for multiple combat roles, including air-to-air combat, air support, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air defenses. The MB-339 is a military jet trainer and light attack aircraft. Villadei has extensive experience in land, sea, and winter survival training and has participated in multiple military operational activities abroad, including Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), UNMEE (UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea), and Antica Babilonia (Iraq). He also participated in multiple flight training exercises, such as “Red Flag,” a multinational opportunity for allied air forces to practice and refine piloting skills for real combat situations
In 2011, Villadei received cosmonaut training in Star City, Russia as a Soyuz flight engineer and in advanced Orlan and International Space Station (ISS) Russian segment systems. In 2014 and 2018, he completed pre-assignment and multiple analog training, which included centrifuge, hypoxia chamber, and survival training.
In 2021, Villadei was selected to fly on Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered flight, Unity 23, the first commercial, human-tended research mission for the company. The mission Vitute-1 was carried out in June 2023, and the crew conducted 12 experiments aboard Unity 23, to include materials, technology, and human physiology research. Villadei served as mission lead and tended to the rack-mounted payloads during the weightless portion of the flight while wearing a smart suit to measure his physiological responses.
Villadei has a Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Naples and a specialization in astronautical engineering from the University of Rome.
When not working, Villadei enjoys spending time at home in Rome with his wife and three daughters. His personal hobbies include swimming and running. In addition, he enjoys scuba diving/advanced PADI and has an Ultralight private license. He is fluent in reading, writing, and speaking in English and his native Italian, along with extensive experience speaking Russian.
With a love for space, stars, aviation, and science combined with Russian cosmonaut and Italian Air Force training, Villadei served as pilot for Axiom Space’s third commercial astronaut mission to the ISS, Axiom Mission 3.