{"id":777966,"date":"2026-09-21T16:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T16:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/777966\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T16:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T16:30:22","slug":"european-space-agency-event-astronaut-pikachu-raids-and-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/777966\/","title":{"rendered":"European Space Agency Event: Astronaut Pikachu, Raids and Research"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pok\u00e9mon GO is partnering with the European Space Agency (ESA) for an event featuring Astronaut Pikachu, research, and space-themed Pok\u00e9mon. Museum gameplay runs from October 4, 2026, to April 30, 2027, with Field Research and boosted wild encounters available during the opening week.<\/p>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ActivityLogRaidLogo.png\" alt=\"Raid icon\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 48px; height: 48px;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>  Astronaut Pikachu 1-Star raids available at participating museums from October 4, 2026, to April 30, 2027<\/p>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/QuestPokemonReward.png\" alt=\"Pokemon Encounter icon\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 48px; height: 48px;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>  Event-themed Field Research and increased wild encounters available at participating museums from October 4 to October 10, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Participating Museums<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/TodayView_Icon_Location.png\" alt=\"Location icon\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Raids<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790008218_518_TodayView_Icon_Raid.png\" alt=\"Raid icon\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Astronaut Pikachu will appear in one-star raids at the participating museums from October 4, 2026, to April 30, 2027.\u00a0Complete these raids in person for an encounter with Astronaut Pikachu featuring a Location Background commemorating your visit.<\/p>\n<p>Shiny Astronaut Pikachu will also be available!<\/p>\n<p>Timed Research<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790008219_934_TodayView_Icon_Research.png\" alt=\"Research icon\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Visit a participating museum during this period to unlock Timed Research. Completing its tasks awards rewards and encounters with event-themed Pok\u00e9mon. Some Pok\u00e9mon encountered through this research may have a Location Background. Timed Research available from October 4, 2026, to April 30, 2027.<\/p>\n<p>Field Research<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790008219_934_TodayView_Icon_Research.png\" alt=\"Research icon\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Spin Pok\u00e9Stops at participating museums to collect event-themed Field Research tasks. Complete them for rewards and Pok\u00e9mon encounters, some of which may feature a Location Background. Field Research available from October 4 to October 10, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Wild Encounters<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/TodayView_Icon_PokemonEncounter.png\" alt=\"Pokemon Encounter icon\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The following Pok\u00e9mon will appear more frequently in the wild around participating museums from October 4 to October 10, 2026:<\/p>\n<p>All listed wild Pok\u00e9mon except Blipbug can be Shiny.<\/p>\n<p>ESA Locations<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/TodayView_Icon_Location.png\" alt=\"Location icon\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The ESA locations below will also offer Astronaut Pikachu raids, Timed Research, Field Research, and boosted wild encounters during the week of October 4 to October 10, 2026. Location Backgrounds will not be available at ESA sites.<\/p>\n<p>HQ: Paris, France<br \/>\nESRIN: Frascati, Italy<br \/>\nESOC: Darmstadt, Germany<br \/>\nESAC: near Madrid, Spain<br \/>\nESTEC: Noordwijk, Netherlands<br \/>\nESEC: near Redu, Belgium<br \/>\nECSAT: Harwell, UK<\/p>\n<p>Gameplay details: <a href=\"https:\/\/pokemongo.com\/news\/european-space-agency-event\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">official Pok\u00e9mon GO announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Pikachu\u2019s Trip to Space<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/TodayView_Icon_General.png\" alt=\"General icon\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pokemongohub.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/astronaut-pikachu.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-144729\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/astronaut-pikachu-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Astronaut Pikachu\u2019s Trip to Space and IIS\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Astronaut Pikachu has a real space adventure behind it! A Pikachu toy stayed aboard the International Space Station from April 11 to June 17, 2026, spending 67 days in orbit and circling Earth approximately 1,040 times. Its crewmates included seven astronauts, among them ESA\u2019s Sophie Adenot, who travelled to the station on SpaceX\u2019s Crew-12 mission.<\/p>\n<p>The visit was part of ESA\u2019s collaboration with The Pok\u00e9mon Company International to celebrate World Space Week, October 4\u201310, 2026. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/pikachu-in-space-new-esa-pokemon-partnership-sends-the-electric-mouse-to-the-iss\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Space.com has more on Pikachu\u2019s spaceflight<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Wider ESA \u00d7 Pok\u00e9mon Collaboration<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/TodayView_Icon_Photobomb.png\" alt=\"Photobomb icon\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pokemongohub.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pokemon_x_ESA_collaboration_key_art-scaled.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-144728\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pokemon_x_ESA_collaboration_key_art-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Pokemon x ESA Collaboration\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Pok\u00e9mon GO is one part of a wider partnership, with a family-friendly exhibition jointly developed by ESA and Pok\u00e9mon. Character panels connect Pok\u00e9mon with real science, covering European launches, astronauts aboard the ISS, the Sun, and exploration of the Solar System.<\/p>\n<p>Exhibition Launch Dates<\/p>\n<p>The exhibition debuts at ESA Open Days. These are exhibition dates; Pok\u00e9mon GO gameplay at ESA sites runs October 4\u201310, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Further appearances across Europe run from early October 2026 through April 2027, including the museums above and Lucca Comics &amp; Games in Italy. Lucca is listed as an exhibition venue, but is not among the announced Pok\u00e9mon GO gameplay locations.<\/p>\n<p>Exclusive Merchandise<\/p>\n<p>ESA \u00d7 Pok\u00e9mon clothing, accessories, and collectibles will be sold through ESA and Pok\u00e9mon retail channels and partner museum shops. More details are in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/About_Us\/Branding_and_Partnerships\/ESA_and_The_Pokemon_Company_International_reveal_Europe-wide_exhibition_and_astronaut_Pikachu_experience\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ESA\u2019s official collaboration announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pok\u00e9mon GO is partnering with the European Space Agency (ESA) for an event featuring Astronaut Pikachu, research, and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":777967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[256475,7848,59,256476,90,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-777966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-astronaut-pikachu","tag-esa","tag-gb","tag-pikachu","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}