ESA astronaut candidates Sophie Adenot, Rosemary Coogan, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Raphaël Liégeois, and Marco Sieber, ESA members of the reserve John McFall and Sławosz Uznański, and Katherine Bennell-Pegg from the Australian Space Agency share their heartfelt New Year wishes in their native languages from inside the Columbus mock-up at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.

The astronaut candidates are currently undergoing a one-year basic training programme primarily conducted at EAC. In addition, John McFall is contributing as subject matter expert in the Fly! Feasibility Study, focusing on understanding what it would take for people with physical disabilities to become professional astronauts and safely participate in meaningful space missions. Sławosz Uznański recently joined the European Astronaut Corps as an ESA project astronaut, dedicated to his mission duties for a future spaceflight opportunity. Meanwhile, Australian astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg is currently seconded to ESA for basic training.