Thomas Pesquet at the controls of an American capsule and Arnaud Prost towards a private space station: two historic missions for France in 2027.
This is a two-stage announcement, made on the sidelines of the Choose France summit on June 2, 2026. Emmanuel Macron confirmed that an agreement has been signed between France and Vast, a Californian space company, for two missions involving Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost, both planned for 2027 aboard a SpaceX Dragon vessel launched by a Falcon 9 rocket. Behind the announcement lie two potential world firsts.
Vast chooses France.
The company announced the installation of its European headquarters in Paris and an agreement with France for two missions involving Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost: PAM-6 and the Haven-1 test flight. This confirms France’s space ambition.
Thank you!
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 1, 2026
Pesquet commander of an American capsule: a first in the history of the ISS
Thomas Pesquet would make his third stay in space aboard the International Space Station, this time as commander of the PAM-6 mission (sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS), in partnership with NASA. The mission should be launched no earlier than summer 2027, for a duration of approximately two weeks.
What makes this appointment historic is what it implies on a protocol level: if confirmed, Pesquet would become the first non-American astronaut to command an American capsule. “Never has a non-American astronaut been in command of an American capsule”underlines CNES. A decision which, however, remains subject to approval by the MCOP committee, the body responsible for ISS operations which brings together representatives of NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency. Nothing has been definitively decided on this point.
At 48 years old, Pesquet has already spent 397 days in space and six spacewalks. He holds the European record for days in orbit and time spent in spacewalk, set during his Alpha mission in 2021.
Arnaud Prost on Haven-1: heading for the first private station
The second mission is of a different nature. Arnaud Prost, an ESA reservist selected in 2022 and who has never yet flown in space, would be a flight test engineer on the first manned mission of Haven-1, the commercial station developed by Vast. This would be the station’s in-flight acceptance flight, also planned for 2027, a few weeks after the launch of Haven-1.
“This astronaut mission to a private station is a first in the world”notes CNES. Haven-1 is currently being integrated into Vast’s workshops in Long Beach, California. It will precede Haven-2, a larger station that Vast is developing to take over from the ISS, which is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2030.
Arnaud Prost is a military pilot, Rafale test pilot at the DGA in Istres, and aircraft commander on E-3F AWACS. He completed his ESA Reservist Astronaut Basic Training in May 2026, a month before this announcement.
Three active French astronauts, an unprecedented situation in Europe
With this agreement, France becomes the only European country to have three active astronauts simultaneously. Sophie Adenot has currently been on board the ISS since February 14, 2026. Pesquet and Prost will be added in 2027. “This agreement shows recognition by the international community of French expertise in manned flight”greets CNES.
The agreement also provides for Vast to establish its European headquarters in Paris, a strategic choice which positions France as the Californian company’s gateway to the continent. Both missions will include scientific experiments and technological demonstrations from French industry and academic institutions, with operational support from CNES, which boasts more than 40 years of expertise in human spaceflight.
Additional details on the two missions will be communicated during the International Space Summit announced by Emmanuel Macron, scheduled for September 9 and 10, 2026 in Paris.
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Source :
The World
