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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

Between two worlds

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

Applying to be an astronaut

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

Watch Matthias Maurer return to Earth with Crew-3

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

Minerva mission begins as Samantha arrives at Space Station

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

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

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

Crew-4 arrive in Florida ready for launch

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

Cosmic Kiss takes the Nebra Sky Disc to space

The sky, its celestial bodies and the vastness of space beyond has fascinated humankind for thousands of years. It is therefore no coincidence that ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer took inspiration from the Nebra Sky Disc for his Cosmic Kiss mission patch.

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Matthias Maurer

First spacewalk for Matthias

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is scheduled to perform his first spacewalk next week, stepping outside the International Space Station on Wednesday 23 March alongside NASA’s Raja Chari. Watch all the action live on ESA Web TV. 

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