Pablo Álvarez and 5 other chosen people become ESA astronauts

April 19 () –

The last six astronauts recruited by ESA, including Spanish aeronautical engineer Pablo Álvarez Fernández, They are completing their year-long basic training.

The group is completed by the French Sophie Adenot, the Northern Irish Rosemary Coogan, the Belgian-Luxembourgish Raphaël Liégeois, the Swiss Marco Sieber and the candidate of the Australian Space Agency Katherine Bennell-Pegg, which was integrated into the group through a collaboration agreement with ESA.

Marking their transition to fully qualified astronauts eligible for space missions, they will receive their certifications at ESA's European Astronaut Center near Cologne, Germany on April 22.

Selected from a notable group of 22,500 applicants of ESA Member States, the ESA astronaut class of 2022 includes 17 people, including five astronaut candidates and 12 members of the European astronaut reserve, including the Spanish molecular biologist Sara García Alonso.

Their collective journey began in April 2023 upon arrival at the European Astronaut Center. Over the past year, they have immersed themselves in a comprehensive training program that covers various areas, such as spacecraft systems, spacewalks, flight engineering, robotics, life support systems, survival and medical training.

Following their certification, these new astronauts will advance to specialized pre-assignment and mission training, setting the stage for missions to the International Space Station and beyond. reports the ESA.