Mission X 2025–2026: train like an astronaut!
Take your students on an exciting learning journey where the thrill of human space exploration meets health and nutrition. Join the Mission X 2025-2026 school-level project and challenge your students to train like real astronauts, combining physical activity with scientific discovery.
Mission X: train like an astronaut immerses students (up to 14 years old) in fitness and hands‑on activities inspired by real astronaut training for a mission to space. Students gain a unique perspective of living and working in space, while connecting these experiences to everyday health and science on Earth.
Register now to take your students on a training adventure!
Why join Mission X as a teacher or educator?
Mission X is designed to fit flexibly into your lessons and curriculum, but can also be easily applied in non-formal education settings, such as science museums and after-school programmes.
Your students will:
- Dive into STEM subjects through an engaging and creative challenge related to health, nutrition and space
- Build essential skills such as teamwork, cooperation, critical thinking, and problem-solving
- Draw inspiration from real ESA astronauts, sparking curiosity and enthusiasm
- Discover potential future careers in science, technology, engineering, and space exploration
- Receive an official Mission X participation certificate
What is Mission X?
Mission X is a free, international educational project that challenges students to train like an astronaut through a combination of physical exercises and scientific investigations. The project is available in multiple languages, led by ESA, the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the national European Space Education Resource Offices (ESERO), and supported by volunteer organisers in countries outside of Europe.
The core objective of Mission X is to ignite curiosity and engage students through a series of interactive activities: fitness missions and scientific investigations.
The fitness missions blend physical activity with scientific inquiry. They help students understand the importance of maintaining physical health through exercise - just like astronauts who must stay strong throughout their missions in the microgravity environment. Participants will test their strength, endurance, coordination, balance, and spatial awareness, and much more.
In addition, students can conduct scientific investigations that cover a wide range of topics related to health sciences, including balanced nutrition, the biology of the human body, the effects of microgravity on movement and coordination, and the principles of physics involved in space travel.
Importantly, all activities align with key educational standards, ensuring that participation in Mission X complements and enriches formal classroom learning.
Mission X is designed for young people up to 14 years old; however, the activities can be adapted for other age groups and skill levels.
The Walk to the Moon Challenge
While the Mission X activities are accessible year-round, each school year, from September to August, student teams can join the Walk to the Moon Challenge. By completing Mission X activities and submitting their results online, teams earn “steps” that help the Mission X mascots, Luna and Leo, virtually walk the 384,400 km distance from Earth to the Moon.
Participants receive a certificate and a special celebratory message from an ESA astronaut.
How to apply?
Participation is open worldwide to individuals or teams of students up to 14 years old. The activities may be submitted by registered teachers or educators.
Key Dates:
Submissions open: 19 September 2025
Final deadline: 14 August 2026
Deadline for early certificates (before summer holidays): 20 April 2026
Special message from an ESA astronaut: Spring 2026
For full project details and to start training visit: Mission X – Train Like an Astronaut