French astronaut to take Michelin-starred menu to space

French cuisine is known as one of the best in the world. For this reason, French astronaut Sophie Adenot looked for ways to get a taste of the world instead of living on frozen, packaged food for months during her first space mission in 2026. The solution was to collaborate with three-Michelin-starred celebrity chef Anne-Sophie Pic. The European Space Agency (ESA) announced that the meals prepared by the famous chef will be taken to the International Space Station (ISS) as “bonus food” for Adenot’s “Epsilon mission.” Noting that astronauts are mostly fed with pre-approved foods in frozen and vacuum-packaged packages during space missions, ESA says that the “bonus food” provides moral support to astronauts, helps maintain their connection with the world, and strengthens cultural sharing among the crew. WHAT’S ON THE SPACE MENU? The menu to be sent to space includes starters such as lemon foie gras on brioche bread, lobster soup with crab and black pepper, parsnip soup prepared with curry and smoked haddock, and onion soup with pink pepper. Main courses include stewed beef prepared with black garlic and smoked vanilla, and a special chicken with tonka beans and cream cheese. Desserts include coconut and vanilla rice pudding, and hazelnut blossom and coffee chocolate cream. "A BIG CHALLENGE" The famous chef said that a space mission is a big challenge in terms of gastronomy, and stated that "cooking for space means trying to preserve the sense of taste despite extreme technical limitations." Pic's recipes were developed in collaboration with French airline catering company Servair and prepared in sterile bags to last a long time. Because in space, food needs to be light, have a long shelf life, and can be consumed safely in microgravity. WHAT DO ASTRONAUTS EAT IN SPACE? Americans tend to eat dried food, while Russians eat canned food, according to the ESA, with menus prepared months in advance and repeated in eight-day cycles.

Despite this, special recipes add morale and variety to space. Adenot also emphasizes that these special meals provide a unique opportunity to establish cultural bonds and spend time together in space.