Prime Minister Alexander De Croo brought together the three Belgian astronauts, Raphaël Liégeois, Frank De Winne and Dirk Frimout, for the first time on Thursday, hosting them at the Chancellery on 16 Wetstraat.
The Secretary of State for Science Policy, Thomas Dermine, was also present.
The three had not met in person before then, and their first meeting meant a lot to Raphaël Liégeois, one of five candidates selected by the European Space Agency in late November to become an astronaut.
"I have known Frank De Winne since the selection, but it was my first time meeting Dirk Frimout," he said. "It moved me to see him."
"He had previously congratulated me by phone, which was very thoughtful of him," he added. "I can learn an enormous amount from him. My ears are wide open for what he and Frank De Winne have to say to me. We are going to see each other again.”
"We are on the eve of a new conquest of space"
Prime Minister De Croo wanted to personally communicate to the astronauts how delighted he is that 30 years after Dirk Frimout’s space journey and 20 years after Frank De Winne’s first flight, a new Belgian astronaut is making a whole new generation dream.
Thomas Dermine agreed. “Yes, the future looks very bright. We are on the eve of a new conquest of space, where people will go to the moon again," he said "And it’s really incredible that a Belgian is going to be part of that adventure."
"Seeing the three Belgian astronauts together was a beautiful moment,” he stressed.
Pioneer Dirk Frimout had nothing but praise for his youngest successor.
“My impression of him is very positive," he said. "He is perfectly bilingual, and he obviously has all the qualifications, otherwise you don’t get chosen from a selection of more than 22,000 candidates.
"Those five people who came out of that are all super people who meet all the requirements.”
