Thomas Pesquet visits Monaco schools, Palace and Venturi Space
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet spent Friday 11 September in the Principality, meeting students, Prince Albert II and the Minister of State before addressing an audience of more than 1,000.
Thomas Pesquet arrived in Monaco on Friday 11 September 2026 to a reception more commonly associated with rock concerts than space exploration. Schoolchildren from the Principality's collèges and lycées greeted the French astronaut with visible excitement, with one pupil summing up the mood simply: "I always dreamed of meeting an astronaut."
The visit covered remarkable ground for a single day. Pesquet held audiences with Prince Albert II and Minister of State before touring the Monaco facilities of Venturi Space, the Principality-based electric mobility and aerospace company. The day closed with a public lecture attended by more than 1,000 people.
The stop at Venturi Space gave the visit particular relevance for Monaco's own ambitions in the sector. The company has been developing satellite and space propulsion projects from its base in the Principality, and a personal walkthrough with one of Europe's best-known active astronauts carries weight beyond the symbolic.
For students who lined up to meet Pesquet, the day offered something harder to quantify. Monaco's science curriculum now has a face attached to it, and the turnout at the evening conference suggested that interest extended well beyond the classroom.