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.

Alexander Gerst
Andreas Mogensen
Luca Parmitano
Portrait of ESA astronaut Marco Sieber. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Marco Sieber
Marcus Wandt
Matthias Maurer
Portrait of ESA astronaut Pablo Álvarez Fernández. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Pablo Álvarez Fernández
Portrait of ESA astronaut Raphaël Liégeois. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Raphaël Liégeois
Portrait of ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Rosemary Coogan
Samantha Cristoforetti
Astronaut portrait - Sławosz Uznański. Credits: ESA - A. Conigli
Sławosz Uznański
Portrait of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Sophie Adenot
Thomas Pesquet
Thomas Pesquet

Spacewalk season two, episodes one and two for Shane and Thomas

Posted on Tuesday June 15th, 2021 by julien

Two spacewalks are fast approaching for ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough who are preparing to exit the International Space Station and upgrade the Station’s power supply.

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Matthias Maurer

Updated Space Station launch and return dates

Posted on Tuesday June 15th, 2021 by Ally

NASA and SpaceX have adjusted the target launch date for Crew-3 to the International Space Station and the return date for Crew-2.

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Thomas Pesquet

Sports and space – parallels to be at your best

Posted on Monday June 7th, 2021 by julien

The life of a professional athlete shows many similarities to one of an astronaut. Both need to perform at key moments, and train hard to be at their best. Once an astronaut is in space the body needs to adapt and react to a sudden change of over millions of years of evolution – all […]

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Thomas Pesquet

European science on the SpaceX Cargo Dragon-22

Posted on Saturday June 5th, 2021 by julien

A look at the European cargo arriving at the International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-22

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Thomas Pesquet

A European in space – Thomas Pesquet in May

Posted on Saturday June 5th, 2021 by julien

With ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet in space for his first full month, let’s look at what he has been doing on the International Space Station in May.

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Samantha Cristoforetti

Q&A with Samantha Cristoforetti

Posted on Wednesday June 2nd, 2021 by Ally

Watch the replay of a question and answer session between ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker as Samantha prepares for her second flight to the International Space Station.

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Thomas Pesquet

Back to the space cradle

Posted on Friday May 21st, 2021 by julien

Like an infant adjusting to the new world, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is relearning how to move around the weightless environment of space. His cradle is a familiar place though – this is Thomas’s second mission to the International Space Station, the orbiting lab where he where he broke records for science during his first […]

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Science

Lunch with the Moon

Posted on Friday May 21st, 2021 by Nadjejda

Watch ESA’s real-time coverage of the total lunar eclipse live on Wednesday, 26 May, including fascinating insights into Earth’s enigmatic satellite, the Moon.

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