Nine years of ESA's class of 2009 astronauts

ESA’s class of 2009 astronaut reported for their first day at work at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, 3 September 2009. The six started their first days of 18-month basic training in preparation for missions to the International Space Station and beyond. 

The new astronauts were:

• Samantha Cristoforetti, from Milan, Italy.
• Alexander Gerst, from Künzelsau, Germany.
• Andreas Mogensen, from Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Luca Parmitano, from Paternò, Italy.
• Timothy Peake, from Chichester, UK.
• Thomas Pesquet, from Rouen, France.

Each astronaut has already flown to the International Space Station. A new recruit, Matthias Maurer, joined the ESA astronaut corps in 2015.

This collage shows scenes from nine years of training and spaceflight.