Thomas Pesquet, an astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA), has said life may exist beyond Earth, arguing that the vastness of the universe and the discovery of planets with potentially habitable conditions make it premature to assume humanity is alone.
Pesquet said scientists continue to discover planets beyond the solar system, some of which have water in the form of ice or potentially liquid water and temperatures that could support life.
Read also: Starlink’s revenue jumps 69% to $5.2bn as SpaceX’s connectivity business expands
“There are so many planets, so many moons, so many exoplanets. We find new ones every day. Some of them have ice water or liquid water. Some of them are in the range of temperatures that we know can harbour life. And so maybe there are some bacteria out there. Maybe there is some form of life,” Pesquet told BusinessDay, during a media interaction at the International Space Summit in Paris.
However, he cautioned against assuming that extraterrestrial life, if discovered, would resemble humans or other complex organisms on Earth.
“We do not expect aliens. We do not expect something similar to us. But it would sometimes be arrogant to think that we are the only ones out there when space is so vast,” he said.
His remarks come as space agencies and researchers continue to investigate whether conditions capable of supporting life exist elsewhere in the universe. Although the presence of water and suitable temperatures can help scientists identify potentially habitable environments, neither condition alone establishes that life exists there.
No life beyond Earth has been scientifically confirmed.
Pesquet is also preparing to return to space in 2027, when he is expected to command a commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking his third spaceflight.
The mission, known as Vast-PAM-1, is expected to last approximately two weeks and will involve fellow European astronauts Aleš Svoboda of the Czech Republic and Adrianos Golemis of Greece, subject to the required approvals.
The mission is part of a partnership involving the French government, the American space company Vast and NASA, providing European astronauts with another opportunity to conduct research aboard the ISS.
During the mission, Pesquet and his crewmates are expected to conduct scientific experiments, educational activities and technology demonstrations. The research programme is expected to cover physiology, neuroscience, health and materials physics, with experiments developed by French space research institutions and scientific partners.
The activities will build on the ISS’s role as an international research laboratory, where scientists investigate biological processes, human health and materials under microgravity conditions.
Pesquet’s upcoming flight also reflects the growing role of commercial companies in human spaceflight. Under the emerging model, governments and space agencies define research priorities and mission requirements, while private companies provide spacecraft and other services to carry astronauts into orbit.
Vast-PAM-1 is expected to launch no earlier than the summer of 2027, with the final mission arrangements subject to the relevant approvals.
Read also: Anthropic targets $2tn valuation to eclipse SpaceX’s IPO
Beyond the immediate scientific objectives, Pesquet has argued that international cooperation remains essential to advancing space exploration. He said countries could achieve more by pooling their capabilities and working towards shared goals than by pursuing every ambition independently.
His comments on the possibility of extraterrestrial life underscore one of the broader scientific questions driving space exploration: whether Earth is unique in supporting living organisms or whether life may have emerged elsewhere under suitable conditions.
While the answer remains unknown, continued astronomical observations and scientific research are expanding humanity’s understanding of the universe and the environments that may be capable of supporting life.
The mission details are supported by the French space agency CNES and ESA, which describe the planned 2027 flight, its multinational crew and its scientific objectives.
Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.
