Switzerland’s Marco Sieber officially appointed ESA astronaut

Switzerland once again has a full-fledged astronaut. Marco Sieber from Bern officially joined the astronaut corps of the European Space Agency (ESA) on Monday after completing basic astronaut training in Cologne, Germany. Sieber, 35, is to become the second Swiss person in space. Between 2026 and 2030, the new European astronauts will fly on missions to the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct scientific experiments, it was announced at the ceremony. "Becoming an astronaut has always been a dream for me, but not really a realistic dream," said Sieber after receiving his diploma. When he learnt that this opportunity was available, he said he was all in. He feels well prepared for space missions, he told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA. He said he had no fears. "It's a great moment for Switzerland. We are now a part of space travel again," Renato Krpoun told Keystone-SDA. Krpoun is head of the space division at the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation ...