ESA astronauts Matthias Maurer and Thomas Pesquet train for their upcoming missions to the International Space Station at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA.

A refresher for Thomas and a first for Matthias, the pair are pictured here during emergency vehicle familiarisation training in the International Space Station mockup.

Due to the current situation with COVID-19, all personnel are required to adhere to special safety precautions while training. These include wearing a mask - as seen in the image.

Thomas has been assigned to the second operational flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, launching in spring 2021 from Cape Canaveral, USA, to the International Space Station. He will be the first European to fly on a Crew Dragon alongside NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.

Thomas' second mission will be called Alpha. This is after Alpha Centauri, the closest stellar system to Earth, following the French tradition to name space missions after stars or constellations.

Meanwhile, Matthias is training for his first Space Station mission. Details of that mission are yet to be established, but for now Matthias is training as the backup for Thomas. As the next two ESA astronauts in line for flights, the pair are working to ensure they fully trained and ready.

Matthias will continue his training in Houston over the next weeks and months and is sharing his experience with everyone.

Related Links
Human spaceflight at ESA
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Russian Progress resupply cargo spacecraft docks with ISS
Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 24, 2020
Roscosmos space corporation previously said that a Progress cargo craft would lift off for the International Space Station on 23 July, while a Proton rocket with communication satellites would head for orbit on 30 July. Sputnik is live from the International Space Station as the Russian Progress-MS-15 resupply cargo spacecraft, which blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan hours earlier, has arrived to dock and deliver supplies, including food and fuel, to the Expedition 63 crew. ... read more