Pikachu has traveled across countless regions, met Pokémon from around the world and even ventured through a few rather unusual dimensions over the years. But his latest adventure might be one of his biggest yet.
Because Pikachu has officially gone to space.
The Pokémon Company International has teamed up with the European Space Agency for a new collaboration celebrating World Space Week 2026, bringing together the imaginative world of Pokémon and the very real science behind exploring our universe. And before the exhibitions, merchandise or special “Pokémon GO” events even begin, Pikachu already got the trip of a lifetime.
A Pikachu plush spent 67 days aboard the International Space Station between April 11 and June 17, completing an impressive 1,040 orbits around Earth. Pikachu joined seven astronauts aboard the ISS, including ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, who traveled to the station as part of SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission.
So yes, somewhere among all those fictional Pokémon adventures, we can now add one very real journey around our planet. More than a thousand of them, actually.
That trip is only the beginning of the ESA and Pokémon collaboration. This fall, temporary exhibitions and interactive experiences will begin appearing at ESA facilities and major museums across Europe, using familiar Pokémon characters to help visitors explore the science and technology behind Europe’s space activities.
The partnership feels like a natural extension of something Pokémon has encouraged since its earliest days: curiosity.
Being a Pokémon Trainer is built around venturing somewhere unfamiliar, discovering what lives there and learning more about the world along the way. Space exploration might involve considerably more complicated technology than tossing a Poké Ball, but that basic desire to look beyond what we already know isn’t so different.
The exhibitions will use themed Pokémon character panels to introduce visitors to subjects including how Europe launches space missions, supports astronauts aboard the International Space Station, studies the sun and explores our solar system and the wider universe. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said the collaboration is intended to bring space exploration beyond its traditional settings while inspiring curiosity and wonder among people of all ages.
For younger Pokémon fans in particular, that familiar face might provide an inviting doorway into some very big questions. Pikachu can get a child through the door; what they discover about astronauts, planets, spacecraft and the universe once they’re there can take their curiosity considerably farther.
Naturally, the collaboration is also making its way into “Pokémon GO.” From October 4, 2026 through April 30, 2027, participating science and space museums will feature special gameplay inspired by ESA x Pokémon, including encounters with Astronaut Pikachu. Exclusive apparel, accessories and collectibles will also be released through ESA and Pokémon retail channels and participating museum shops.
The exhibitions begin around ESA Open Days, with events planned at ESA Headquarters in Paris on September 19-20; ESRIN in Rome on September 25; ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands on September 26-27; ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany on October 2; ESAC in Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain on October 3; and ECSAT in Harwell, United Kingdom on October 10. The exhibition will then continue traveling to additional locations and events around Europe through April 2027.
Pokémon has always made discovery part of the adventure. There is another route to travel, another Pokémon to find and something waiting just beyond the places we already know. Bringing that spirit together with real space exploration gives kids an opportunity to carry the same curiosity into our own universe.
After all, there are plenty of mysteries left to discover beyond Earth.
And Pikachu already has a 1,040-orbit head start.