The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot from France, a member of the ESA Astronaut Class of 2022, was selected in November 2022 from over 22,500 candidates who applied to ESA’s 2021 call for new astronauts.
She began her year-long basic astronaut training at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, in April 2023. This training covered spacecraft systems, spacewalking, flight engineering, robotics, life support systems, survival, and medical training. Sophie received her astronaut certification alongside fellow astronaut candidates Rosemary Coogan, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Raphaël Liégeois, and Marco Sieber at EAC on 22 April 2024, officially marking her transition into a fully-fledged astronaut.
In May 2024, Sophie was announced for her first spaceflight mission, currently scheduled for 2026 to the International Space Station. After completing her pre-assignment training, she is now in mission-specific preparation, focusing on the tasks and experiments she will perform during her stay on the Space Station.
Access the related broadcast quality video material: Sophie Adenot training / ESA Astronaut Class of 2022: Basic training / Astronaut Class of 2022 - stock footage