ESA astronaut candidate interviews

Impressions from the new ESA astronaut candidates after their first month of training at the European Astronaut Training in Cologne, Germany.

The ESA astronaut candidates of the class of 2022 Sophie Adenot, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Rosemary Coogan, Raphaël Liégeois and Marco Sieber started basic astronaut training on 3 April 2023 in preparation for future space missions. The five trainees were selected from 22 500 applicants from across ESA Member States.

The candidates are trained to the highest level of standards as specified by the International Space Station partners. Basic training includes learning about space exploration, technical and scientific disciplines, space systems and operations, as well as spacewalks and survival training. Once they receive the ESA astronaut certification, they will move on to the next phases of pre-assignment and mission-specific training.

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