About us
ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, is the European centre of excellence for astronaut training, operations and space medicine. Home to ESA’s astronaut corps, it equips Europeans to fly to the International Space Station today, while preparing for an exciting future of space exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
Established in 1990, EAC has grown alongside ESA’s expertise and capabilities in human spaceflight. The Centre’s activities include:
- Selecting and training ESA astronauts.
- Making sure astronauts maintain high levels of health, fitness and proficiency.
- Teaching astronauts from international partners (NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, CSA) how to operate European hardware onboard the International Space Station.
- Providing expert medical care and general support to astronauts at all stages of a mission.
- Communicating with astronauts onboard the International Space Station via the ground control network.
- Training and certifying European ground control personnel.
- Exploring concepts for future space exploration in partnership with students and research institutions.
- Coordinating public relations activities and astronaut appearances.
