Colonel Walter Villadei joined the Italian Air Force (ItAF) in 1993, beginning his career as a cadet at the Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli. He pursued his studies in Aeronautical Engineering with a specialization in space (becoming the first ItAF officer to attend such a course). In February 1999, he was assigned as a Lieutenant to the 46th Air Brigade in Pisa with the role of Technical Officer on various fleets (G-222 and C-130J), participating in numerous operational activities abroad (United Nations Mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia, International Security Assistance Force, Enduring Freedom, Antica Babilonia, Kosovo, former Yugoslavia), as well as numerous training missions in Europe and the United States.
Early Career and Education
Transferred to the Air Staff in October 2003, he attended an advanced specialization course until May 2005, obtaining a second-level Master’s degree from the University of Rome La Sapienza, followed by a six-month period at the European Space Agency and initial study on air-launched vehicles in collaboration with the national industry. In 2006, he graduated with honors in Astronautical Engineering from the School of Aerospace Engineering, founded by Luigi Crocco and directed for many years by Luigi Broglio.
Space Policy and Program Leadership
From 2009, he held various positions in the ItAF dealing with military and dual-use space programs, both at the Air Force Space Policy Office and at the General Office for Space, where he operated until mid-March 2022 as Head of the « Space Policy and Operations Office ». Among other activities in his career: from 2018 to 2022, he was the national representative at NATO’s Science and Technology Office (STO) for collaborative activities in the space domain; from 2017 to 2021, he was National Representative at the EU-SST Consortium Steering Committee and IT-MOD Representative in the National Coordination Committee (OCIS) for governance of the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) capability development program; from 2014 to 2021, he was National Delegate to the European Commission, appointed by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, for the European Committee relating to the Space Surveillance and Tracking Support Framework. Additionally, during the period 2014-2018, he was a Member of the Scientific Technical Committee of the Italian Space Agency; during the period 2014-2018, he was a Member of the Coordination Committee established by the Framework Agreement between the ItAF and the University of Rome Tor Vergata « for collaboration in the field of advanced training, applied research and experimentation in the aerospace sector and human spaceflight ». He is a member of the Scientific Technical Committee of the Veneto Space Meeting,
supports the Parliamentary Intergroup for the Space Economy and is a subject matter expert for the Presidency of the Council on the topic of orbiting infrastructures.
Space Operations and Commercial Spaceflight
Since March 14, 2022, he has assumed the role of ItAF Representative in the United States for space access activities and commercial spaceflights with Axiom Space. He has participated and continues to participate in various national working groups in the space sector.
Cosmonaut and Astronaut Training
Colonel Walter Villadei is the first Italian to have attended a qualification course as a Cosmonaut (2011-2012), at the prestigious Y. Gagarin State Research & Test Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, where he earned his cosmonaut wings and was qualified as a flight engineer/co-pilot of Soyuz-MS, in advanced use of systems for extravehicular activities (Orlan systems) and onboard systems of the Russian segment of the International Space Station (2014-2015 and 2018-2019). Since September 2021, within an agreement between the Italian Air Force and Axiom Space, Col. Villadei began training at NASA as a « professional astronaut » and in mid-2022 was assigned as backup pilot for the Ax-2 mission.
Spaceflight Missions
On June 29, 2023, Col. Villadei served as Commander of VIRTUTE 1, flying suborbital on the Virgin Galactic spaceplane from Spaceport America in New Mexico, conducting various experiments provided by the ItAF and the National Research Council. From January 18 to February 9, 2024, Col. Villadei served as pilot of the Axiom-3 mission, spending 21 days in space and 18 days aboard the ISS, performing experiments for the ItAF, Italian Space Agency, and Italian industries, along with some Axiom experiments. In 2025, he served as backup commander for the Ax-4 mission.
Teaching and Recognition
Col. Villadei has taught at various universities; he has produced numerous articles and promoted various initiatives in favor of young people and students to bring them closer to space. He holds diving certifications (various specialties), a VDS pilot license, and is a martial arts instructor. Col. Villadei has received various honors and recognitions, including the honor of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and the Silver Medal for Aeronautical Merit.
