Flemish minister-president meets astronaut Raphaël Liégeois ahead of ISS mission
Raphaël Liégeois welcomed Flemish minister-president Matthias Diependaele on Wednesday at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) training centre in Cologne. The future Belgian astronaut is preparing for his first mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2026.
Liégeois began ESA’s one-year basic training programme in Cologne in April 2023 before continuing his preparation at NASA’s training centre in Houston, Texas. He is now back in Cologne for several months to study the systems and components of Columbus, the European laboratory module of the ISS.
Liégeois is scheduled to fly to the ISS in 2026, becoming the third Belgian astronaut after Dirk Frimout and Frank De Winne. De Winne, who later became the first European commander of the ISS, now heads ESA’s training centre in Cologne and joined Liégeois in receiving Diependaele.
The future astronaut said he hopes to continue the work of his Belgian predecessors. "[De Winne] did a fantastic job and set the bar very high," says Liégeois. "In addition, I also want to share this space adventure with as many people as possible so they can experience it through me."
"I want to share this space adventure with as many people as possible so they can experience it through me"
Liégeois' return to Europe also comes ahead of next week’s ESA ministerial council in Bremen. European space ministers will discuss budgets for upcoming missions, including human spaceflight.
Diependaele's visit to the ESA training centre was part of this week's Flemish industry mission to Germany. The minister-president, along with a delegation of representatives of companies and institutions, visited the federal states of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO MYRTHE TIMMERMANS
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