A plush Pikachu spent 67 days in orbit. It has now become part of an ESA exhibition project introducing visitors to real space exploration.
The European Space Agency released a photograph of Pikachu in the Cupola module of the International Space Station. The plush toy floats beside the windows through which the crew observes Earth.
Pikachu was in orbit from 11 April to 17 June 2026 as part of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot’s mission. During that time, the toy completed around 1,040 orbits of Earth.
The character is now part of a joint project by ESA and The Pokémon Company International for World Space Week, which runs from 4 to 10 October. The family exhibition at the heart of the project uses familiar Pokémon characters to explain real space exploration.
The first showing took place at ESA headquarters in Paris on 19 and 20 September. ESA sites in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom will host the exhibition next. The displays explain how space missions are launched, how astronauts work on the ISS, and how the Sun and Solar System are studied.
From early October 2026 to April 2027, museums and other venues across Europe will also present the project. Participants include Cité de l’espace in Toulouse, the Science Museum in London and Space Expo in the Netherlands.
