Brussels, May 22. (Escannews) – Two new European astronauts, the first of a new batch of astronauts recruited by the European Space Agency in 2022, have been assigned to future long-duration missions on the International Space Station, scheduled for 2026. This is the Frenchwoman Sophie Adino, who will work Start Firstly, the Belgian Raphael Liejoa. This was announced by ESA Director General Joseph Aschbacher during the Space Council in Brussels. The two new astronauts recently completed their year-long basic training, culminating in a formal ceremony on April 22 at ESA’s European Astronaut Center in Germany, during which they received their astronaut “wings.” Their assignment to a mission on the International Space Station – commented Aschbacher – is a tangible result of the commitment to maintaining a strong European presence in an international context, and sending two newly graduated astronauts from the European Space Agency into space is an essential step in the path of European conservation. know-how, ensuring Europe’s long-term participation in ongoing programs such as the Artemis lunar programme. Sophie Adino is an engineer, helicopter pilot and colonel in the French Air Force while Raphaël Legois is a biomedical engineer and neuroscientist during their missions in space. ESA astronauts will conduct numerous scientific experiments, many of which were initially developed in Europe, conduct medical research, contribute to Earth observation and participate in the operation and maintenance tasks of the space station in connection with the subject of space missions. Furthermore, ESA has signed A €25 million contract with Thales Alenia Space to develop a low-Earth orbit cargo re-entry service to demonstrate the feasibility of offering a full cargo delivery service to and from space stations by 2028.
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