Astronaut Pikachu logs 67 days and 1,040 orbits aboard ISS – now catch him on Earth
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The plush space traveller was at the orbiting laboratory from April 11 to June 17 with crew members from the European Space Agency.
PHOTO: SOPHIE ADENOT/YOUTUBE
- Astronaut Pikachu spent 67 days and 1,040 orbits on the ISS, then returned to Earth and began a Europe tour to promote space exploration.
- ESA and The Pokemon Company launched a World Space Week campaign with a travelling exhibition and Pokemon Go events at six European science and space museums.
- French astronaut Sophie Adenot filmed Pikachu’s ISS tour, and ESA said the project aims to inspire future generations through a fun, engaging space experience.
AI generated
After 67 days and 1,040 orbits on board the International Space Station (ISS), Pikachu is back on Earth and on tour across Europe to stoke interest in space exploration.
The spacesuit-clad, yellow, plush space traveller was at the orbiting laboratory from April 11 to June 17 with crew members from the European Space Agency (ESA).
A YouTube video posted on Oct 6 that has since been viewed over a million times shows French astronaut Sophie Adenot giving the plush toy a tour of the ISS.
Pikachu is seen being guided through the station, with visits to its water dispenser, laboratory freezers and crew quarters.
Adenot closes the video by telling Pikachu that, even in space, “you have a tendency to hide everywhere”.
“Yeah, I know you like this game,” she tells him.
Adenot returned to Earth on Oct 8, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off California aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule with three other Crew-12 astronauts.
Her 237-day mission set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a European astronaut.
Pikachu’s space adventure is part of a wider ESA-Pokemon collaboration marking World Space Week from Oct 4 to 10.
The partnership includes a travelling, family-friendly exhibition combining space science with Pokemon storytelling. Displays explain how Europe launches spacecraft, supports astronauts, studies the sun and explores the solar system.
“Inspiring future generations is a key part of ESA’s mission,” said Josef Aschbacher, the agency’s director-general. “Through this collaboration with Pokemon, we are unlocking new ways for people across Europe to connect with space through a unique and engaging experience.”
For fans who prefer their scientific outreach with something to catch, Pokemon Go offered an Astronaut Pikachu through one-star raids and timed research at six European science and space museums.
The locations included London’s Science Museum; Cité de l’espace in Toulouse, France; Deutsches Museum in Nuremberg, Germany; Museu de les Ciències in Valencia, Spain; Space Expo in Noordwijk, Netherlands; and Euro Space Center in Transinne, Belgium.
The event ran through Oct 10. A rare Shiny version of Astronaut Pikachu was also offered.
Pikachu joins an elite club of plush space travellers that include Snoopy, who was on NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission, and Grogu, the mascot on SpaceX’s Crew-1 flight.