Pikachu's ISS Trip Kicks Off an ESA and Pokemon GO Event

A Very Special Crew Member

For 67 days this spring, the International Space Station had an extra passenger. A Pikachu plush flew with European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot from April 11 to June 17, 2026, completing roughly 1,040 orbits of Earth. On September 19, ESA and The Pokemon Company International revealed what comes next: a Europe-wide exhibition, a museum tour and a Pokemon GO event timed to World Space Week.

• Space flight: 67 days in orbit and about 1,040 trips around the planet, per ESA
• World Space Week: October 4 to 10, 2026
• Pokemon GO event: October 4, 2026 to April 30, 2027, featuring Astronaut Pikachu
• Museum tour: seven European science venues from October 2026 to April 2027

When Can You Catch Astronaut Pikachu in Pokemon GO?

The Pokemon GO event starts on October 4, the first day of World Space Week, and runs until April 30, 2027. According to ESA, it includes Astronaut Pikachu raids, Timed Research and special encounters with location backgrounds, plus extra gameplay at participating museums. That long window means there is plenty of time to plan a trip, and it is a welcome follow-up to the game's 10th anniversary celebrations this summer.

Where Is the ESA Pokemon Exhibition?

The exhibition opens at ESA sites during their open days before heading to museums:

• ESA Headquarters, Paris: September 19 to 20
• ESRIN, Rome: September 25
• ESTEC, Noordwijk: September 26 to 27
• ESOC, Darmstadt: October 2
• ESAC, Spain: October 3
• ECSAT, United Kingdom: October 10

From October through April 2027 it tours the Cite de l'espace in Toulouse, the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia, the Deutsches Museum in Nuremberg, the Euro Space Center in Belgium, Lucca Comics and Games in Italy, the Science Museum in London and Space Expo in Noordwijk. ESA describes it as a blend of real space science and Pokemon storytelling, and exclusive ESA x Pokemon merchandise is part of the program.

Why Space Agencies Love a Good Mascot

It is easy to smile at a plush toy in orbit, but there is a serious idea underneath. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher put it simply: inspiring future generations is a key part of ESA's mission. Few characters reach more young people than Pikachu, and pairing a real flown artifact with a free-to-play game gives kids a reason to walk into a science museum and look up.

Nintendo Life also covered the reveal on September 21. Pairing a flown artifact with a free-to-play game makes this one of the more accessible space outreach ideas we have seen, and for anyone who ever dreamed of being an astronaut, a raid battle might just be the first step. More playful news lives in our gaming coverage.

Sources: European Space Agency — September 19, 2026; Nintendo Life — September 21, 2026.