Thomas Pesquet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Pesquet
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Official portrait, 2020
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| Born |
Thomas Gautier Pesquet
27 February 1978 |
| Status | Active |
| Nationality |  France |
| Occupation | |
| Space career | |
| ESA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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396 days 11 hours 34 minutes |
| Selection | 2009 ESA Group |
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Total EVAs
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6 |
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Total EVA time
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39 hours, 54 minutes |
| Missions | Soyuz MS-03 (Expedition 50/51) SpaceX Crew-2 (Expedition 65/66) |
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Mission insignia
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Thomas Gautier Pesquet (born 27 February 1978) is a French European Space Agency astronaut. He is also an engineer and a pilot.
Thomas was chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA) in May 2009. He finished his basic astronaut training in November 2010. From November 2016 to June 2017, Thomas was a flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS). He went back to space in April 2021 for another six-month stay on the ISS.
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About Thomas Pesquet
Thomas was born in Rouen, France. He grew up with one older brother. He is very active and enjoys many sports. He has a black belt in judo. He also likes basketball, jogging, swimming, and squash.
Thomas loves outdoor adventures. He enjoys mountain biking, kite surfing, sailing, skiing, and mountaineering. He is also skilled in scuba diving and parachuting. In his free time, he likes to travel, play the saxophone, and read. He is a big fan of French football and rugby teams.
Education and Languages
Thomas finished high school in Rouen, France, in 1996. In 2001, he earned a master's degree in space systems. He studied at a special school in Toulouse, France. He also spent a year studying in Canada.
In 2006, Thomas graduated from Air France's flight school. This allowed him to become a commercial airline pilot. He can speak many languages, including French, English, Spanish, Chinese, German, and Russian.
Thomas's Career Journey
From 2001, Thomas worked as an engineer in Spain. He helped with how spacecraft move in space. Between 2002 and 2004, he worked for the French space agency, CNES. He researched how space missions could work on their own. He also helped design future ground systems for space.
In 2004, Thomas was chosen for Air France's pilot training. He became a commercial pilot in 2006. He flew the Airbus A320 plane. He has flown for over 2000 hours. He also taught other pilots how to fly the A320.
In 2018, Thomas also became a pilot for Novespace. This company uses special planes to create a feeling of zero-G (weightlessness).
Becoming an ESA Astronaut
Thomas was chosen as an European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut in May 2009. He started with ESA in September 2009. He completed his basic astronaut training in November 2010. Thomas is the youngest astronaut in the European Astronaut Corps. He was the last of his group to go to space.
In 2014, NASA announced that Thomas would live underwater. He stayed in the Aquarius underwater lab for nine days. This was part of the NEEMO 18 mission. He also trained in caves and underwater for other missions. These experiences helped him prepare for space.
ESA chose Thomas for a six-month mission to the International Space Station in 2014. This mission started in November 2016.
In 2023, Thomas took part in ESA's PANGAEA training. This training helps astronauts learn about geology. It took place in Italy, Germany, and Spain.
First Space Mission: Proxima (2016-2017)
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Thomas launched into space on November 17, 2016. He flew on the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome. He spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS). He was part of Expedition 50 and Expedition 51. He arrived at the ISS on November 19, 2016. He was the first French astronaut to visit the ISS since 2008. His mission was called Proxima.
The Proxima mission included 50 science experiments. These experiments were for ESA and CNES. The mission was named after Proxima Centauri. This is a star near our Sun. French astronauts often name their missions after stars. The 'X' in the logo showed that Thomas was the tenth French astronaut. It also stood for the unknown. A 13-year-old boy from France chose the name Proxima. Thomas Pesquet and Karen Oldenburg designed the mission logo.
Thomas did his first spacewalk (called an EVA) on January 13, 2017. He worked with astronaut Shane Kimbrough. They prepared the ISS to replace its batteries. This spacewalk lasted for almost 6 hours.
On March 23, 2017, Thomas did his second spacewalk with Shane Kimbrough. They prepared a part of the station called PMA-3. This part would be moved to a new spot. It would then connect to new spacecraft in the future. They also fixed some cables and connections. The spacewalkers also greased a robotic arm. They checked a radiator for a small leak. Radiators help cool the space station. They also replaced cameras on the Japanese part of the station. This spacewalk lasted over 6 hours.
On June 2, 2017, Thomas returned to Earth. He landed in the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft. His first mission in space lasted 196 days.
Second Space Mission: Alpha (2021)
On March 11, 2020, ESA announced that Thomas would go back to the ISS. This second mission started in the second half of 2021. He would be the first European astronaut to launch on an American commercial spacecraft. On July 28, 2020, Thomas was officially assigned to the SpaceX Crew-2 mission. He was a mission specialist. His crewmates were NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur. Also, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide was on the crew. Thomas named his second mission "Alpha." This name also comes from Alpha Centauri, a star system.
The Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft launched on April 23, 2021. It docked with the International Space Station on April 24. Once on board, they joined ISS Expedition 65.
During this mission, Thomas did four more spacewalks. He did the first three with Shane Kimbrough in June. Their job was to install new solar arrays on the station. These arrays help power the ISS. Thomas did his fourth spacewalk with Akihiko Hoshide. During this spacewalk, he set a new European record. He had spent the most time spacewalking in total. His total spacewalk time was almost 40 hours.
On October 4, 2021, Thomas became the commander of the ISS. He was the first French astronaut to lead the space station. He handed over command to his Russian colleague on November 6, 2021.
Crew-2 landed in the Gulf of Mexico on November 9, 2021. Thomas spent 199 days in space on this mission.
Goodwill Ambassador
On April 12, 2021, Thomas Pesquet was named a Goodwill Ambassador. This was for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
At the 2020 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, Thomas played the saxophone. He played the French national anthem. He did this while he was on the International Space Station. This was part of the ceremony to introduce Paris as the host of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Artistic Work
Thomas wanted to share his love for space. He wrote a book about his life called "Ma vie sans gravité" (My life without gravity). He also played himself in the movie Hawa.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Pesquet para niños
- French space program
