His first flight in 2015 only lasted ten days, but the commitment of the European astronaut did not waver. He is selected for a six-month mission on theISS
and will receive special training, becoming the first non-American to pilot Crew Dragon
.
ESA maintains a presence of approximately one astronaut per year in orbit!
We don’t forget the Danes
It was a promise of the former director of ESA, Jan Woerner: all the astronauts of the 2009 selection will be offered at least a second mission in orbit. The space agency has since (r)sent Alexander Gerst, Luca Parmitano, Thomas Pesquet and Matthias Maurer into orbit, while Italian Samantha Cristoforetti is preparing for her flight next month.
The appointment of Andreas Mogensen for a mission in 2023 (or early 2024) is therefore not a surprise, but it confirms this desire. The first Danish astronaut, despite training as extensive as his colleagues, was only able to fly in a short ten-day mission in September 2015.
Here your pilot talking to you
Andreas Mogensen will fly away on Crew Dragon. And if his vehicle has not yet been assigned, the ESA made it clear that he would follow pilot training, to become the first non-American to occupy one of the central seats of the SpaceX capsule.
If operations go as planned, it’s not a role that requires a lot of skill, because the capsule is above all automated, including for its approach to the International Space Station. But the pilot (like the place of the commander, next to him) has several responsibilities for the take-off, landing or docking phases, and indeed so far, it has always been American astronauts who have taken on this role. .
Evolution on Earth
Andreas Mogensen, who turns 45 this year, can boast of having a rich experience as an astronaut, compensating for the short time he spent in orbit. Indeed, with extended periods of training in Houston, he was responsible for liaison between European and American astronauts. He was several times the capcom “, the one who directs the astronauts on behalf of the ground teams, and on many occasions we could hear his voice helping the colleagues in EVA exit on the flanks of the ISS.
With the prospect of a six-month mission, it would also be surprising if he did not have the opportunity to train to go out in a spacesuit.
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Source: ESA
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