Vast and ESA to Launch First Greek Astronaut to ISS on 2027 SpaceX Mission

The European Space Agency (ESA) and commercial space company Vast have signed an agreement to send the first Greek astronaut to the International Space Station. The private mission is part of a partnership with NASA and is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX vehicle in 2027.

Mission and Crew Details

Officials announced the agreement at the International Space Summit in Paris. The mission, designated Vast-PAM-1, will see ESA flight surgeon Dr. Adrianos Golemis serve as Mission Specialist. The transportation will be provided by SpaceX, utilizing a Falcon 9 rocket to launch a Dragon spacecraft.

The final crew composition is subject to approval by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel, which consists of representatives from NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. Dr. Golemis is set to join two other ESA astronauts on the flight:

• Thomas Pesquet of France as Commander
• Aleš Svoboda of the Czech Republic as Pilot

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A fourth and final crew member will be announced at a later date, according to the announcement.

Astronaut Background and Training

Dr. Golemis is a medical doctor who studied at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds a Master of Space Sciences from the International Space University. He has served as an ESA Flight Surgeon since 2018 and previously worked in Antarctica implementing experiments on human physiology and psychology.

His astronaut training is scheduled to begin in September in the United States with teams from Vast, SpaceX, and NASA. The regimen will include training on the Falcon 9 and Dragon systems, emergency preparedness drills, and extensive simulations for all phases of the mission.