The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced the selection of five astronaut candidates from its 2022 class, chosen from a pool of 22,500 applicants across its member states. The candidates, Sophie Adenot, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Rosemary Coogan, Raphaël Liégeois, and Marco Sieber, will undergo rigorous training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
This training aims to prepare them for future space missions, encompassing a wide range of disciplines including space exploration, technical and scientific subjects, space systems operations, and survival training. Notably, the group will also receive instruction in conducting spacewalks.
Additionally, the candidates will be joined by Katherine Bennell-Pegg from the Australian Space Agency, marking a significant international collaboration in astronaut training.
The selection and training of these candidates underscore ESA's commitment to advancing human spaceflight and preparing for upcoming missions in an increasingly global space exploration landscape.