NASA I Am Artemis: Peter Rossoni, Artemis II Optical Communications Flight Manager
Summary: On April 24, 2026, NASA released an I Am Artemis profile featuring Peter Rossoni, Optical Communications System Flight Manager for the Artemis II mission. As a child, Rossoni watched Apollo missions launch with his family. That passion for space ultimately led him to develop laser communications technology at NASA, and in April 2026, he became a key figure enabling communications as astronauts journeyed around the Moon aboard Orion during the Artemis II test flight.
Credit: NASA
Rossoni's path to NASA began following his parents' footsteps into science. That foundation eventually led him to laser communications and NASA's Artemis II test flight. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Rossoni works within the Space Communications & Navigation Program, developing the optical communications systems that will enable high-bandwidth data transmission between the Orion spacecraft and Earth during the Artemis II mission.
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Artemis program, carrying four astronauts on a lunar flyby mission before returning to Earth. The optical communications technology managed by Rossoni represents a significant advancement over traditional radio frequency communications, providing higher data rates essential for future deep space exploration missions.