ESA ALPHA MISSION - WATCH THOMAS PESQUET’S LAUNCH TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION LIVE !
Thursday 22 April at 12:11 CET, France’s ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will depart from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on SpaceX's Crew-2 Dragon spacecraft for his second mission on the International Space Station (ISS) in orbit between 360 and 400 kilometres above Earth. Thomas Pesquet, who will become the first French commander of the ISS on this mission, and the three other crew members, American astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, will reach the station after a flight of less than 24 hours. The Crew-2 Dragon is scheduled to dock with the ISS Friday 23 April at 11:30 CET.
During this new mission named Alpha, Thomas Pesquet will be performing some 200 experiments, 40 of them European. Nearly half of these will be monitored by the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at CNES.
As part of CNES’s contribution to the mission for France, CADMOS has prepared 12 science, technology and education experiments. Through this programme, CNES is seeking notably to further cutting-edge science on the ISS and continue advancing knowledge in space for Earth. It is also supporting French scientific research and technology advances with an eye on future exploration of the solar system and deep-space missions. The astronaut will be supported by a top-flight French team of women and men working to prepare for the mission and monitor the experiments operated from the ISS. CNES is federating and promoting this ecosystem.
PRESS CONTACTS
Pascale Bresson Press Officer Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 75 39 pascale.bresson@cnes.fr
Raphaël Sart Head of Media Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 74 51 raphael.sart@cnes.fr
#MissionAlpha – experience and share the launch and docking of Thomas Pesquet’s mission!
Media resources
⦁ Alpha mission press kit ⦁ here
⦁ Alpha mission media reel ⦁ here
Alpha photo resources / ⦁ Alpha video resources
⦁ Alpha mission website ⦁ here
Two broadcasts in French and English
Practical information for launch on Thursday 22 April:
⦁ Broadcast time slot: 10:50 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m. CET (lift-off scheduled around 12:11.)
⦁ Broadcast co-produced by ESA and CNES, live from CADMOS (CNES, Toulouse) and Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
⦁ Hosted by journalist Katy Haswell and ESA astronaut Jean-François Clervoy.
⦁ With numerous experts from ESA, CNES and mission partners.
⦁ In French and English.
The URL for the broadcast in French on YouTube is:
https://youtu.be/ram84mP_wCo
This player can be embedded on any website without prior authorization using the embed code:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ram84mP_wCo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The settings for this embed code can be adjusted via the Share button on YouTube.
The URL for the broadcast in English on YouTube is:
https://youtu.be/_wgN23Cp-pI
This player can be embedded on any website without prior authorization using the embed code:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_wgN23Cp-pI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The settings for this embed code can be adjusted via the Share button on YouTube.
Practical information for docking on Friday 23 April:
⦁ Broadcast time slot: about 10:55 a.m. CET (docking scheduled around 11:30).
⦁ Broadcast co-produced by ESA and CNES.
⦁ Hosted by journalist Katy Haswell and ESA astronaut Jean-François Clervoy.
⦁ The broadcast will be in French and English (in the same player).
The URL for the broadcast in French and English on YouTube is:
https://youtu.be/uGz1ARf4QRo
This player can be embedded on any website without prior authorization using the embed code:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uGz1ARf4QRo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The settings for this embed code can be adjusted via the Share button on YouTube.
Live broadcasts:
The public can view both broadcasts live on:
CNES’s YouTube channel
CNES’s Twitch channel
ESA’s Web TV channel
Alpha mission centre stage at the Cité de l’Espace
‘Watching mission Alpha’: an immersive exhibition following ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet on the International Space Station
During the six-month Alpha mission, the Cité de l’espace space theme park is giving visitors the chance to see the highlights of astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s new sojourn on the ISS through a unique exhibition titled ‘Watching mission Alpha’, conceived in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French space agency CNES. From preparations on the ground, the teams involved, the flight to the ISS and day-to-day activities to the mission’s scientific experiments, the public will get a glimpse of what the space mission is all about through this living, immersive exhibition accompanied by a programme of related cultural and scientific events, Alpha Cafés and the mission’s main highlights. In partnership with ESA and CNES, the Cité de l’espace will be streaming the launch of mission Alpha from the new exhibition live with commentary for the media on 22 April and its docking on 23 April. Find out more at www.cite-espace.com.
