Summary
ESA will host a media event in Lanzarote on 26 September 2026 after the final stage of astronaut Pablo Álvarez’s PANGAEA training. The programme teaches astronauts to conduct geological fieldwork for future Moon and Mars exploration missions.
The European Space Agency will invite media to meet astronaut Pablo Álvarez in Lanzarote on 26 September 2026, following the final stage of his PANGAEA training. The programme prepares astronauts to perform scientific and geological fieldwork during future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars.
The Lanzarote session is the third and final phase of a three-week training programme. Earlier phases took place in Italy and Germany. ESA says the island’s volcanic landscape, including extensive basaltic terrain similar to areas found on the Moon, provides a useful setting for practising planetary geology in the field.
Why Lanzarote is part of the training
PANGAEA focuses on the practical decisions astronauts will need to make when working on planetary surfaces. Participants learn to interpret terrain, conduct geological traverses, identify scientifically valuable samples and collect them while coordinating with science teams on the ground.
A geological traverse is a planned movement across a landscape during which observations and samples are recorded. For exploration missions, this type of fieldwork can help astronauts connect visible surface features with the geological history of an area and select samples that may be most useful for later scientific analysis.
Lanzarote’s basaltic volcanic terrain offers a terrestrial environment in which these skills can be practised. Basalt is a volcanic rock also found on the Moon, making the island relevant for training that uses Earth landscapes as analogues for planetary field operations.
Details of the 26 September event
The media event is scheduled to begin at 11:00 local time in the Canary Islands on Saturday, 26 September 2026. It will take place at the Tinguatón car park in Tinajo, on the LZ-56 road between Mancha Blanca and La Geria, near Los Volcanes Natural Park.
The programme includes remarks from Oswaldo Betancort, president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa; Samuel Martín, councillor for Geopark, Biosphere Reserve and Environment; Loredana Bessone, ESA’s PANGAEA project lead; and Álvarez. A media question-and-answer session and a short walk through the training area are also planned.
ESA says the schedule is subject to change. The event concerns astronaut preparation on Earth rather than a lunar or Martian mission, but it illustrates the field-science skills the agency is preparing crews to use during future exploration activities.