French astronaut Thomas Pesquet to give free conference in Monaco this September
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet will return to Monaco on 11 September to give a free public conference on the future of space exploration at One Monte-Carlo.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet will return to Monaco next month to give a public conference on the future of space exploration.
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Organised by the Monaco Méditerranée Foundation (MMF), the event, titled "Space Exploration: Today and Tomorrow," will take place on 11 September at 6:30pm at One Monte-Carlo.
Admission is free, although advance registration is required, and the conference will also be streamed live on the Foundation's YouTube channel.
One of France's best-known astronauts, Pesquet has spent more than 200 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during two missions in 2017 and 2021.
During the conference, he is expected to discuss current space missions, technological advances and the future of human space exploration, including plans to return astronauts to the Moon and eventually send crews to Mars.
Pesquet is also expected to speak about his next mission, currently scheduled no earlier than 2027 under an agreement between France and the American space company Vast.
The commercial mission, known as PAM-6, would mark his third trip to the ISS, where he is due to serve as mission commander and oversee scientific research, educational activities and technology demonstrations in partnership with NASA.
The astronaut is no stranger to the Principality.
In 2023, he appeared at Monaco's MAGIC pop culture convention, where he spoke about his Alpha mission to the ISS and explained his desire to connect space exploration with wider audiences through popular culture.
Pesquet's conference follows the recent visit to Monaco of former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, as the Monaco Méditerranée Foundation continues its series of talks featuring leading international figures.