Pikachu spent 67 days on the ISS and completed about 1,040 orbits. Now its spacesuit is heading to European museums, while Pokémon GO will add special encounters through April 2027.
A Pikachu plush spent 67 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), completing about 1,040 orbits before returning to Earth. Now the European Space Agency (ESA) and The Pokémon Company International are bringing their collaboration to European museums and Pokémon GO.
The digital activation begins on October 4, 2026, and will run through April 30, 2027. It will reach six venues: the Science Museum in London, Cité de l’espace in Toulouse, Deutsches Museum in Nuremberg, Museu de les Ciències in Valencia, Space Expo in Noordwijk and Euro Space Center in Transinne. Visitors will find one-star raids featuring Astronaut Pikachu and limited-time research. Information from official materials from ESA and Pokémon GO, the campaign is part of World Space Week activities.
From October 4 to 10, 2026, additional content will also be available at several ESA sites: its headquarters in Paris and the ESRIN, ESOC, ESAC, ESTEC, ESEC and ECSAT centers.
The experience will vary by location. Pokémon GO may offer encounters with a special background tied to the site visited. From October 4 to 10, field research will be added, and more space-themed Pokémon will appear around participating sites. Official materials from ESA and Pokémon GO confirm that completing raids will let players encounter Astronaut Pikachu with a location-specific background. Some sites will also feature Field Research and more themed Pokémon; availability may vary by location.
The collaboration’s first exhibition opened at ESA’s Paris headquarters during the open days on September 19 and 20. It will then travel to agency facilities in Rome, Noordwijk, Darmstadt, Villanueva de la Cañada and Harwell. The program also includes European museums and events through April 2027, including Cité de l’espace in Toulouse, Deutsches Museum in Nuremberg, the Science Museum in London and Museu de les Ciències in Valencia.
Spain has two specific stops. The ESA exhibition is scheduled to visit ESAC in Villanueva de la Cañada on October 3. The Pokémon GO experience is confirmed at Museu de les Ciències in Valencia, one of the six museums offering location-specific backgrounds. ESA and organizations involved in the program list ESAC as a basic stop on the Spanish tour.
The project pairs science outreach with Pokémon characters. Its displays explain how Europe launches missions, supports ISS astronauts, studies the Sun and explores the solar system and universe. The collaboration also includes clothing, accessories and collectibles, distributed through ESA and Pokémon commercial channels as well as participating museum shops.
The original journey required a full spaceflight logistics operation. Information from collectSPACE, the plush reached the station aboard a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft and returned in a SpaceX Dragon capsule. ESA revealed the details on September 19. The flight coincided with astronaut Sophie Adenot’s mission and ran from April 11 to June 17, 2026.
The toy wore a white spacesuit made for the occasion, along with a mission patch. After completing about 1,040 circuits of Earth, it went from accompanying a mission to becoming the focus of a European campaign with physical and digital events.
The official pages consulted list venues only in Europe. No equivalent experience in Mexico or Latin America has been announced so far. Public participation depends on visiting the listed venues or using the app during the scheduled dates.
The campaign turns a 67-day spaceflight into a traveling exhibition and an activity within Pokémon GO. ESA brings science and real-world venues; The Pokémon Company brings a familiar character and a digital community. The partnership offers a direct way to introduce space science to people who might not otherwise visit a science center.
