This post was originally published on here
05/01/2026
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On 5 January 2026, the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, hosted a special tradition: the planting of an astronaut tree by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot in honour of her first mission to space, εpsilon. This symbolic gesture celebrates her achievements and future mission while reinforcing the deep connection between space explorers and the planet they call home.
From the roots planted in Cologne to the rocket that will carry her skyward, Sophie’s journey mirrors her astronaut tree. The chosen tree, an American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), is renowned for its resilience and strength — qualities that mirror those of astronauts preparing for spaceflight. Each autumn, its leaves turn a fiery red, evoking the flames of a rocket launch and the spirit of exploration.
The εpsilon mission
Sophie was selected as an ESA career astronaut in 2022 and is now training intensively for her first spaceflight: the εpsilon mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than February 15, 2026. She will travel to the International Space Station for a long-duration mission, conducting a wide range of tasks, including European-led scientific experiments, medical research, support Earth observation and contribute to operations and maintenance on the Station.
εpsilon, named after the fifth Greek letter and the fifth brightest star in Leo, symbolises the power of small yet meaningful contributions and honours ESA’s five career astronauts. Its patch features a hummingbird at the centre—a symbol of how even the smallest actions can lead to great achievements. Encircling the design is a ring of dots representing all individual contributions to a spaceflight, with three coloured dots for the French flag and ESA’s destinations: Earth, Moon, and Mars. Five stars pay tribute to the astronaut class, while flowing lines form a shooting star tail, evoking dreams and exploration. At the base, a rounded blue shape depicts Earth’s beauty, reminding us why we venture into space: to learn and return knowledge for life on our planet.
A living timeline of exploration
The astronaut tree-planting tradition at ESA’s Astronaut Centre has its roots in the long-standing custom of cosmonauts planting trees in Kazakhstan before their launches there. ESA adopted this ritual in Cologne, and astronauts from the 2009 and 2022 classes who have flown missions have followed it. Today, Sophie continues the tradition, adding her tree to a growing grove that forms a natural timeline of Europe’s human spaceflight achievements.
Sophie reflects: “This tree reminds me that big journeys start small. Just as a seed will become a strong tree, a space mission begins with small steps that will grow into something meaningful. The smallest actions, when added together, can lead to great achievements.”
With her tree standing among those of preceding ESA astronauts, Sophie’s εpsilon tree will grow as a tribute to strength, resilience and international collaboration—the values that define human spaceflight. As it thrives, it will serve as a lasting reminder of her journey and the knowledge she will bring back to Earth.
