A Pikachu plush orbited Earth 1,040 times and is now a museum tour
ESA and The Pokémon Company International are turning a plush toy's 67 days on the ISS into a Europe-wide exhibition and Pokémon GO events.
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CultureKey facts
- Who
- European Space Agency and The Pokémon Company International
- What
- Europe-wide exhibition and Astronaut Pikachu experience
- Flight
- plush orbited about 1,040 times over 67 days (April to June 2026)
- Run
- October 2026 to April 2027 in museums in seven countries
The European Space Agency and The Pokémon Company International have announced a Europe-wide exhibition built around a Pikachu plush that flew to the International Space Station. According to ESA, the toy orbited Earth about 1,040 times over 67 days during astronaut Sophie Adenot's mission, between April and June 2026.
Real missions, painted with Pokémon
The exhibition is family-oriented. ESA says visitors move through themed panels where Pokémon characters appear next to real information about launches, astronaut support, studies of the Sun and planetary exploration.
It debuts at ESA Open Days. The dates listed are Paris on September 19 and 20, Rome on September 25, Noordwijk in the Netherlands on September 26 and 27, Darmstadt in Germany on October 2, Spain on October 3 and the United Kingdom on October 10.
After that, ESA says the show will run from October 2026 to April 2027 in museums across France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Pokémon GO and merchandise
The collaboration celebrates World Space Week 2026, which runs from October 4 to 10. It also stretches into the game.
Pokémon GO will have special activities at participating museums, including One-Star Raids and encounters with Astronaut Pikachu. ESA and Pokémon-branded apparel, accessories and collectibles will be sold through retail channels.
Why a space agency would do this
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said: "Inspiring future generations is a key part of ESA's mission." The pitch is straightforward. A recognizable character gets children to a panel about solar physics that they might otherwise walk past.
The release does not say how much the partnership costs, who pays for it, or how revenue from the merchandise is shared. It also does not explain how a plush toy is handled as flight cargo.
The next test is attendance. Over the six months of the museum tour, the question is whether visitors leave knowing more about the missions, or only about the raid schedule.