France's Astronauts Set for Historic Missions to Commercial Space Station
France shoots for the stars with back-to-back space firsts
Image: Rfi
France is advancing its space ambitions with two astronauts, Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost, set to embark on separate missions next year. Prost will be part of the world's first crewed mission to the Haven-1 commercial space station, while Pesquet will command a mission to the International Space Station, marking a significant milestone for France in space exploration.
- 01Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost will undertake separate missions in 2024 under a deal with US company Vast.
- 02Prost will be the first astronaut to visit the Haven-1 commercial space station, currently under development.
- 03Pesquet's mission to the International Space Station will be his third, and he aims to participate in NASA's Artemis Moon mission by 2029.
- 04Both missions will launch on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets, pending approval from the ISS partners.
- 05Vast, founded by Jed McCaleb in 2021, aims to build commercial space stations to eventually replace the ISS.
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France is solidifying its position in space exploration with a new agreement that will see two French astronauts, Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost, embark on historic missions in 2024. Prost will participate in the first crewed mission to Haven-1, the world's first commercial space station being developed by the US company Vast. His role will be as a test engineer during this groundbreaking mission. Meanwhile, Pesquet will command a separate mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking his third stay there. This mission is expected to launch no earlier than mid-2027. Both missions will utilize SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets, although Pesquet's ISS mission requires approval from a panel of international partners. The agreement highlights France's growing ambitions in the space sector, with aspirations to contribute to NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon by 2030. The Haven-1 station is anticipated to launch next year, with Vast planning a successor, Haven-2, to replace the ISS, which is set to be decommissioned in 2030.
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The missions represent a significant advancement for France's space exploration efforts and its collaboration with international space agencies.
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