Thomas Pesquet

About

Two early engineering roles 🛠️ gave me a solid technical foundation, a structured mindset, and exposure to international cooperation 🌍. Becoming a commercial airline pilot ✈️ helped me foster key human and operational skills — teamwork, leadership, communication, decision-making under pressure, situational awareness… and humility (every possible error will be made if you fly enough: it's just statistics). Sports 🏃, science 🔬 and adventure 🌋 have always been part of who I am. When I was selected as an astronaut by ESA 🧑‍🚀 in 2009, I found the one job that brought it all together. Since then, I’ve had the privilege to: 🏃‍♂️ Push my limits further than I ever thought I could 🌍 Explore extreme environments on Earth — caves, volcanoes, underwater labs, jungles, deserts, Antarctica… 🚀 Spend nearly **400 days in space** (🇪🇺 European record) 🔧 Perform **6 spacewalks** (🇪🇺 European record) 📸 Capture **thousands of images of Earth** from orbit, and post the least terrible of them on social media 📚 Publish **5 books** and take part in countless events to share this experience with the public 🎓 Obtain an MBA degree, leading to managing a one-of-its-kind company: Novespace 🪖 Serve in the Air Force on operational missions, with a rank of colonel in the active reserve ✈ Graduate as a test pilot with Airbus, and fly demanding test flights on various aircraft types Space is more than exploration: it’s a way to **understand, protect and inspire**. It’s about science, sustainability, and preparing a future beyond borders — for all of us. 🌕 **My next destination: the Moon.** Buckle up — and follow the journey.