The day’s event – an ESA Day in cooperation in Belgium – also gave this new recruit an opportunity to meet his two predecessors as Belgian astronauts: Dirk Frimout, who flew on the Space Shuttle in 1992 as the first Belgian in space, and Frank De Winne, who flew twice to the International Space Station in 2002 and 2009, becoming the first European commander of the Station, going on to head ESA’s European Astronaut Centre.

These distinguished visitors, accompanied by ESA’s Belgian delegation, were greeted by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality and Head of ESTEC Torben Henriksen and ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker.