Greece Announces First Astronaut Adrianos Golemis for 2027 ISS Mission

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced at an international space conference in Paris that Adrianos Golemis will become Greece’s first astronaut, targeting a launch in the second half of 2027. The PAM-6 mission, a four-person crew including a French commander, will travel to the International Space Station via Vast’s private contract with NASA, using a SpaceX Dragon capsule launched on a Falcon 9 rocket. ESA will manage the mission for Greece, and Golemis, an ESA flight physician, has begun specialized training in Europe and the United States.

The initiative reflects Greece’s rapid development from having no space programme to operating 18 satellites and building a domestic satellite industry. Officials said the flight aims to boost national pride and encourage Greek youth to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The mission also offers opportunities for Greek scientific experiments in fields such as medicine and materials.