Thomas Pesquet shares the dream of most astronauts: to go to the moon, he has the criteria to do so.

The Moon is the new objective

Copyright Thomas Pesquet

The Space Launch System (SLS) launcher took off on Monday, November 16, 2022, from Cape Canaveral. The moving images of the Orion spacecraft’s flyby of the Moon remind the oldest of Apollo 8. Above all, they confirm that the Moon is the new objective. It has been fifty years since the last man walked on the moon. It was December 14, 1972, and it was Gene Cernan. The next human being to set foot on the lunar soil could do so before the end of the decade. NASA thinks that it is possible to witness the return of moonwalkers (including moonwalkers) as soon as 2027.After returning from the ISS with SpaceX in November 2021, Thomas Pesquet announced that he wanted to recover all of his capacities, in order to prepare for new missions.

“I will do everything in my power to make it happen”

In order not to lose his operational skills, Thomas Pesquet is currently an Airbus A310 airline pilot for space agencies to conduct experiments in weightlessness. He is naturally also in active service with ESA astronauts.
The Artemis 1 rocket launched on November 16 bears witness to this: humanity plans to return to the Moon. This first unmanned flight aims to test launchers and equipment.
The dream of treading the lunar soil is perhaps that of all astronauts. In any case, it is that of Thomas Pesquet. For him, it is “not impossible […] I will do everything in my power to make it happen”. “Setting foot on the Moon, that obviously is everyone’s dream. Even if we don’t go face-to-face, anyway, playing a role in this exploration, in my opinion, it’s fine. be a bit of the thrilling experience of the coming years.”
Philippe Willekens, head of communication at the European Space Agency, said: “We are counting on our most experienced astronauts who have already made two flights and have been captains for the conquest of the Moon”. Criteria fulfilled by Thomas Pesquet.