French European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet has begun training for a mission to the International Space Station planned for 2027, which he is due to command. The Vast-PAM-1 mission is part of a NASA initiative for private astronaut missions, following an agreement between the US company Vast and the French state.
It will be the first time three ESA astronauts fly in the same crew: Pesquet will be joined by Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda and Greek astronaut Adrianos Golemis. Training will take place in the United States, at CNES’s space centre in Toulouse and at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne.
The science programme, drawn up by CNES, will include experiments in physiology, neuroscience, health and materials physics, as well as educational activities. On previous missions, the “Élève ton blob” experiment reached more than 2,000 schools and ChlorISS was reproduced by 280,000 pupils.
CNES also announced that Arnaud Prost will fly in 2027 on the first crewed mission to the private Haven-1 station. France thus becomes the only European country with three active astronauts.
