Live: Mission Alpha briefing with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Tuesday 11:30 CET (10:30 GMT)
Watch a virtual press event with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet on Tuesday 16 March from 10:30–11:30 GMT (11:30–12:30 CET) to learn more about his second International Space Station mission. The briefing and questions and answer session will be in English and French.
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Set to launch on 22 April, Thomas will be the first ESA astronaut to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon being launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, USA. He will accompany NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
Thomas’ mission is called Alpha after the star Alpha Centauri, located in the same system as Proxima, the name of his first mission.
Programme
11:30–12:30 CET: Press briefing, online
Participants
Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General
Kirsten MacDonell, ESA’s International Space Station Utilisation Planning Team Leader
Thomas Pesquet, ESA Astronaut
Didier Schmitt, Head of the ESA Human and Robotic Exploration Strategy & Coordination Group