Thomas Pesquet during training at Star City

ESA's French astronaut Thomas Pesquet (center) during Russian language course, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, in Russia, on 15 October 2014.

Thomas Pesquet has been assigned to be launched on a Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2016 for a long-duration mission to the International Space Station.