ESA's newly selected astronaut candidates of the class of 2022 arrived at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, on 3 April 2023 to begin their basic training.

The group of five candidates, Sophie Adenot, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Rosemary Coogan, Raphaël Liégeois, and Marco Sieber, are part of the 17-member astronaut class of 2022, selected from 22 500 applicants from across ESA Member States in November 2022.

In addition, Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg will be trained alongside ESA's astronaut candidates. Together they will receive basic training certification after successfully completing the approximately one-year instruction at EAC.

The astronaut candidates will be trained to the highest level of standards in preparation for future missions to the International Space Station and beyond. During basic training, this encompasses learning all about space programmes and exploration, technical and scientific disciplines, space systems and operations, as well as spacewalk and survival training.