ESA astronaut reserve training

Members of the ESA Astronaut Reserve—Sara García Alonso from Spain, Andrea Patassa from Italy, Arnaud Prost from France, Amelie Schoenenwald from Germany, and Aleš Svoboda from Czechia—are participating in a two-month intensive training experience at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. The programme aims to equip the members of ESA’s astronaut reserve with the essential skills required for future space exploration and scientific research. During the ESA astronaut reserve training, they cover key modules from ESA’s basic training programme, which typically prepares career astronauts for various missions. The training includes a mix of technical and operational skills, spacecraft systems, initial spacewalk training, and survival exercises in both water and winter conditions.