Pikachu has become an astronaut this time. The European Space Agency (ESA) and The Pokémon Company announced that Pikachu visited the International Space Station (ISS).
The protagonist in the photos and videos released in September is a Pikachu plush floating in ESA's Cupola observation module. The Cupola is a European-built observation module offering a view of Earth from the ISS, cited as one of the favorite spots for astronauts during their shifts. The plush stayed in orbit for 67 days from April 11 to June 17, circling the Earth approximately 1,040 times during that period.
The astronaut accompanying Pikachu was French ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot. Launched aboard SpaceX's Crew-12 in February this year to carry out her first mission, "Epsilon," she completed over 200 scientific experiments and three spacewalks during her mission—taking multiple photos alongside her yellow companion along the way.
The collaboration was first revealed by ESA in August. Anne-Sophie Bradelle, Head of ESA's Communication Department, stated, "Working with Pokémon, a brand with such a rich and imaginative world, represents a unique opportunity for ESA to connect broad audiences with space through creative storytelling." She also highlighted ESA's Strategy 2040 goal to inspire younger generations.
The key art released alongside the announcement features Pikachu floating among constellations wearing a blue flight suit. The collaboration moves to its main stage on Earth for World Space Week 2026. Starting with ESA Headquarters in Paris, Open Day events were held sequentially across various ESA facilities, including Rome, Noordwijk in the Netherlands, Darmstadt in Germany, Villanueva de la Cañada in Spain, and Harwell in the UK. The events will transition into a touring exhibition starting in early October, traveling across Europe through April 2027.
The exhibition will feature panels of Pokémon characters alongside content introducing how ESA launches European missions, supports ISS astronauts, and studies the Sun and the Solar System.
In-game tie-ins are also included. From October 4 through April 30 next year, Pokémon GO will provide space-themed special content to Trainers visiting participating museums. A variety of in-game content will appear as part of the collaboration, starting with encounters with Astronaut Pikachu.
This is not the first time Pikachu has appeared in space. In late 2020, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held a special New Year's live broadcast co-hosted by JAXA and Pokémon while astronaut Soichi Noguchi was aboard the ISS. Pikachu joined Noguchi during the live stream via CGI. However, in this ESA collaboration, an actual plush toy stayed aboard the ISS for over two months, differing in both scale and duration.
