ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer sends international Christmas greetings from space as he and his crew mates prepare to celebrate Christmas on board the International Space Station.

Cosmic Kiss is Matthias' first mission to the International Space Station ISS and makes spending Christmas in orbit an extraordinary experience. To spread the holiday spirit and convey the value of being part of a multicultural team, Matthias has chosen different languages, where he was sure that he pronounces them in a correct way, to wish "Merry Christmas" from space.

Matthias was launched to the International Space Station on Crew Dragon Endurance as part of Crew-3 at 02:03 GMT/03:03 CET Thursday 11 November 2021. His ESA mission is known as Cosmic Kiss and will see him live and work for approximately six months in orbit.

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