“We are very, very far from the wages of footballers”, according to Thomas Pesquet.
Astronaut’s life fascinates, especially since very few people can access this prestigious profession. On a spatial mission, the one who is nicknamed “the space traveler” performs scientific and technical work. On Earth, he spends most of his time training in anticipation of a space mission. A true ambassador of his space agency, he also participated in international meetings and conferences. His days are therefore well filled, but how much does he win?
“”An astronaut earns his life well, but that does not earn as much as what people imagine. We are very, very far from the wages of footballers for example“, replied Thomas Pesquet in a Hugo Decrypt program. More specifically, an astronaut is remunerated according to his missions, his rank and his experience. At the European Space Agency (ESA), astronauts are European civil servants and their wages are based on a regulated grid composed of three grades: A2, A3 and A4.
A astronaut at the start of his career (Grade A2) can earn between 6,200 and 6,900 euros per month (net salary). After several years of experience, the salary increases in proportion to the missions entrusted to it and is between 7,600 euros and 8,500 euros (Grade A3). Last echelon of the profession, an astronaut that stole in space and who is able to carry out a space mission can hope to gain between 8,900 and 9,700 euros net (Grade A4), according to the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. At NASA, “Wages are neither more nor less the same than ESA astronauts“, continues Thomas Pesquet, who indicates however that NASA pilots earn on average more than astronauts, up to 147,000 euros annually (12,500 euros per month) for those who justify at least 1,000 hours of flight, including 850 on a high performance jet plane, according to the latest NASA calls for candidates.
A NASA astronaut is necessarily an exceptional person and will have an extraordinary career, said April Jordan, responsible for the selection of agency astronauts, in the official podcast of the NASA Johnson space center in Houston, Texas. “”Last year, we received more than 12,000 applications for this position and we will retain a maximum of 10 (…) the process is long. It takes us about 2 years from the start to the end of the recruitment process“.
