The European Space Agency (ESA) will implement an astronaut mission to the International Space Station for Greece. The flight will be part of the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station that NASA awarded to Vast.
Subject to Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) review and approval, Adrianos Golemis, a flight surgeon working for ESA, will serve as mission specialist. The MCOP's decisions are reached through a consensus among representatives from all five Space Station partners: NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. Pending approval, Adrianos Golemis will become the first Greek astronaut. Adrianos is planned to join ESA Astronaut Thomas Pesquet , who is the named Commander of the Vast mission, and ESA Project Astronaut Aleš Svoboda who is the named Pilot.
The mission, enabled by NASA's private astronaut mission initiative,is planned for 2027, with transportation provided by SpaceX on a Dragon spacecraft launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
"This is a historic moment for Greece: a national ambition becoming a concrete human spaceflight mission," said Josef Aschbacher, ESA's Director General. "But this is also about more than one flight. Greece's increased investment strengthens its space sector and creates a range of opportunities for a new generation of scientists and engineers. ESA is proud to help turn ambition into European capability-and now into a path to orbit."
"ESA is working closely with Greece to provide them with our decades of expertise in the field of human spaceflight. Our teams are already supporting the development and preparation of scientific payloads and educational activities to ensure the success of this mission," said Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA's Director for Human and Robotic Exploration. "This decision from Greece underlines once again the growing interest and ambition in Europe to pursue Space Exploration."
Adrianos Golemis already took part in some modules of the Astronaut Reserve Training which took place earlier in the year and is now officially appointed as an ESA Project Astronaut. He will enter a new phase of his journey and begin mission specific training for the International Space Station. Over the coming months, he will undertake a series of training modules in Europe and the United States, during which he will prepare for the various phases of the mission - from launch to return to Earth. One of the first steps in this new phase of preparation will take Adrianos to the United States in September. In the US, he will undertake a programme with teams from Vast, SpaceX and NASA.SpaceX will provide training on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, emergency preparedness training, spacesuit and spacecraft ingress and egress exercises, as well as partial and full simulations.
"This mission is the result of a sustained national effort that Greece has pursued over recent years through its National Space Strategy, significant investment in space programmes and in the European Space Agency, and the mobilisation of Greek industry and research. Our partnership with the European Space Agency and Vast brings this effort to a historic new milestone, opening the way for Greece's first human spaceflight and demonstrating what can be achieved through strong international partnerships. The mission will also create valuable opportunities for Greek scientific experiments and technology demonstrations in areas including medicine, human physiology, agri-food, materials and sensors. Most importantly, we want this mission to inspire a new generation of Greek students to pursue careers in science, technology and engineering," said Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence of the Hellenic Republic.
"We're honored to advance Greece's space ambitions by flying the first Greek astronaut to space, a historic milestone made possible through our collaboration with NASA," said Max Haot, CEO of Vast. "This mission reflects the growing momentum behind sovereign human spaceflight programs and the expanding role of commercial partners in enabling them. We look forward to working with ESA and the Hellenic Space Center as Greece continues to strengthen its position in the global space sector."
This initiative is an important step forward for Greece's engagement in the new era of commercial space exploration. It demonstrates the framework for collaboration across government, academia, and industry. For this mission, Greece will benefit from ESA's decades of expertise in mission and payload preparation, implementation of scientific experiments in microgravity environment, and post-flight rehabilitation.
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