ESA title
Topic

Astronauts

Exploring our Solar System is one of humankind's most exciting adventures. ESA selected its first astronauts in 1978 for the 1983 Spacelab mission on NASA's Space Shuttle. Here you'll find more about our current astronauts – the class of 2009.

Training

(English) Between two worlds

(English) Every week spent in a different place, in a different time zone. A myriad of training lessons, countless instructors, and never-before-seen technology. A life between airports, the new faces, the non-stop learning… and no time for lunch.

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Marcus Wandt

(English) Applying to be an astronaut

(English) Marcus Wandt is the first in the new generation of European astronauts to jump on a commercial spaceflight with Axiom Space. This article is part of a series about the journey behind his first mission to space, Muninn.

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Matthias Maurer

(English) Watch Matthias Maurer return to Earth with Crew-3

(English) After almost six months aboard the International Space Station, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is coming home. Watch all the action, from undocking to splashdown, live on ESA Web TV channel 2.

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Samantha Cristoforetti

(English) Minerva mission begins as Samantha arrives at Space Station

(English) Crew Dragon spacecraft Freedom, carrying ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and her NASA colleagues Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines and Jessica Watkins, docked to the International Space Station at 01:37 CEST Thursday 28 April.

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Samantha Cristoforetti

(English) Watch live: Crew-4 docking to the International Space Station

(English) Follow the live coverage as the SpaceX Crew Dragon docks to the International Space Station, marking the beginning of ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti’s Minerva mission.

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Samantha Cristoforetti

(English) Crew-4 arrive in Florida ready for launch

(English) ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA on Monday, where she will spend a final week in quarantine before Crew-4 is launched to the International Space Station.

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Matthias Maurer

Mit Cosmic Kiss zur Internationalen Raumstation: Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra

Der Himmel mit seinen Gestirnen und die Weite des Weltraums dahinter faszinieren die Menschheit seit Jahrtausenden. Nicht umsonst ließ sich ESA-Astronaut Matthias Maurer daher für das Logo seiner ersten Weltraummission Cosmic Kiss, die am 11. November 2021 in Richtung Internationale Raumstation ISS startete, unter anderem von der Himmelsscheibe von Nebra inspirieren.

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Matthias Maurer

Erster Außenbordeinsatz für Matthias Maurer

Der ESA-Astronaut Matthias Maurer wird nächste Woche seinen ersten Außenbordeinsatz durchführen. Am Mittwoch, 23. März 2022, wird er zusammen mit NASA-Astronaut Raja Chari aus der Internationalen Raumstation aussteigen.

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