Thomas Pesquet — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut
Served as flight engineer on International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 50 and 51 (2016-2017)
Completed a second six-month mission to the ISS aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon (2021)
Holds a master's degree in spacecraft design and control from École nationale supérieure de l'aéronautique et de l'espace (2001)
Qualified as an Airline Transport Pilot License-Instrument Rating (ATPL-IR) holder from Air France flight school (2006)
Worked as a commercial pilot for Air France, logging over 2000 hours flying time
Previously worked as a spacecraft dynamics engineer for GMV, S.A. and a research engineer for the French space agency CNES

Biography

Thomas Gautier Pesquet is a French aerospace engineer, pilot, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. Born in 1978, he earned a master's degree in spacecraft design and control from the École nationale supérieure de l'aéronautique et de l'espace in Toulouse, France, in 2001. He also holds an Airline Transport Pilot License-Instrument Rating (ATPL-IR) from the Air France flight school, obtained in 2006, and has logged over 2000 hours flying time as a commercial pilot for Air France.