Three European astronauts, including one French, will participate in the upcoming missions of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return to the Moon and establish a sustainable presence there, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Thursday.
The German Minister for Research, Technology and Space, Dorothee Bär, and the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, chair the ESA ministerial meeting in Bremen, northern Germany, on November 26, 2025. (Photo: FOCKE STRANGMANN / AFP)
Bremen (Germany) – “I have decided that the first Europeans to participate in lunar missions will be German, French, and Italian astronauts,” said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher on the sidelines of the agency’s council in Bremen.
“The first flight will be assigned to a German astronaut,” he added.
The ESA is participating in the American program through the construction of the Orion capsule and is providing elements for the station that will orbit the Moon.
Among the potential French astronauts is Thomas Pesquet, who was present in Bremen and has received support from the minister dedicated to space, Philippe Baptiste.
“This means that Europe has its place in this adventure for the long term, and that France secures its place within Europe,” said Pesquet, who at 47 is the most experienced European astronaut with nearly 400 days in space.
2026 could be the year of the return of astronauts around the Moon, while the Artemis III mission, which will be the first to land them on the lunar surface since 1972, is scheduled for 2027 or 2028. (November 27, 2025)
