In Paris, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet urged Europe to maximize scientific returns from the ISS. He emphasized the importance of the upcoming ESA mission aboard PAM-6, which he will lead in summer 2027, as the ISS approaches its operational end. Pesquet highlighted the need for Europe to develop its own space capabilities to ensure strategic sovereignty, especially in light of recent geopolitical challenges.
We’ll perform a deep-dive analysis of all sources and publicly available external materials, then prepare a structured timeline of events, an in-depth report explaining the background and context, and multiple perspectives.