He now takes an active role within the army.
In a publication on the professional social network LinkedIn, Norman astronaut Thomas Pesquet announced that he was joining the operational reserve of the Air and Space Force. A new chapter which opens mid-career for the astronaut, who has become an airline pilot since 2005.
He justifies this decision by his “affinities with the institution, friendship and respect for its members”. “And in another life, who knows, I could have tried to pursue a career as a military pilot,” he adds, before continuing: “I’m going to learn a lot there.”
According to France 3 Normandie, Thomas Pesquet, who had already joined the citizen reserve in 2017, has become since August 2024, reserve colonel within the 31st strategic supply and transport wing. He will pilot the A330 Phénix MRTT, a latest generation multirole aircraft, our colleagues report.
The tenth Frenchman to go into space, the astronaut emphasizes that he remains an astronaut at the European Space Agency, “with a view to future lunar missions” and that he will devote “a little” of his time to this new activity.
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