Pikachu, back from space station, kicks off ESA x Pokémon collab
The European Space Agency has launched a collaboration with Pokémon featuring a plush Pikachu that spent 67 days on the International Space Station. The initiative includes a traveling exhibition across Europe designed to spark public interest in space exploration.
Why it matters
Using pop culture icons is an increasingly common strategy for scientific organizations to engage younger audiences and improve public outreach.
Pikachu, back from space station, kicks off ESA x Pok mon collab | collectSPACE
Pikachu, back from space station, kicks off ESA x Pok mon collab
- A special visitor made a secret trip to the International Space Station earlier this year to spark interest in the European Space Agency (ESA) and its activities.
As revealed on Saturday (Sept. 19), Pikachu spent 67 days on board the orbiting outpost from April 11 to June 17. The best known of all the Pok mon - in the form of a plush toy - the electrified yellow mouse arrived at the space station on a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft and returned to Earth on board a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
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