ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will function commander of the Worldwide House Station in the direction of the top of his second mission, referred to as Alpha, presently slated to start on 22 April this yr. The announcement was made throughout at present’s press briefing.
Thomas would be the fourth European to carry the submit of commander, after ESA astronauts Frank De Winne, Alexander Gerst and Luca Parmitano. Throughout the briefing, Thomas remarked how three back-to-back European commanders underscores the rising position of Europe in area exploration and is a testomony to the laborious work of ESA colleagues.
‘I’m unbelievably humbled and honoured’, stated Thomas.
Thomas would be the first ESA astronaut to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon launching on a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, USA. He’ll accompany NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Company) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
Throughout his six-month Alpha mission, Thomas will proceed the programme of analysis that always spans a number of missions and a variety of scientific disciplines spanning supplies science and radiation to instructional actions.
The tip of Thomas six-month keep on board will overlap with the beginning of German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer’s first mission to the House Station, referred to as Comic Kiss, which might be adopted by Samantha Cristoforetti’s second tenure in area, marking three back-to-back missions for ESA astronauts.
Comply with Thomas Pesquet and his Alpha mission by way of thomaspesquet.esa.int.
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