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Nicola Pecile (born March 11, 1973, Udine[1][2][3]) is an Italian commercial astronaut who works for Virgin Galactic.[1][2][3][4]
Nicola Pecile | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 11, 1973[1][2][3] |
| Status | Active |
| Alma mater | Accademia Aeronautica |
| Space career | |
| Commercial astronaut SpaceShipTwo pilot | |
Current occupation | Pilot at Virgin Galactic |
| Missions | |
Mission insignia |  |
He graduated from the Accademia Aeronautica and served with the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) flying Panavia Tornado combat aircraft.[2][4] Selected to train as a test pilot, he qualified at the EPNER school in 2003.[2][4] As a test pilot, he tested new armament integrations for the Tornado and AMX International AMX[2][4] He completed a master's degree in Astronautical Engineering at the School of Aerospace Engineering of La Sapienza, Rome.[2][4]
In 2011, he retired from the air force and migrated to the United States.[4] There, he taught at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California.[2][3][4] In 2015, he joined Virgin Galactic to work on the SpaceShipTwo program.[1][2][4]
As of 2023, he had logged 8,000 flying hours on 170 different aircraft.[4]
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