Around 400 people applied from across the world. Nine made the crew. One of them is Fadi Kanaan, an alumnus of the American University of Beirut (AUB), who has been selected for Asclepios VII, an international, student-led space mission simulation based in Switzerland.
Kanaan is the first Lebanese ever selected for the program. He is also the only Arab on this year's crew.
Sleepless Nights and Rescue Drills
A strong CV was not enough to earn a seat. Candidates were put through physical and mental tests designed to push them hard, including sleep deprivation, search-and-rescue exercises, and problem-solving under extreme conditions.
Those who made it through faced one final step: an interview with Claude Nicollier, a Swiss astronaut who flew on four NASA Space Shuttle missions.
A Crew Member Built Outside Aerospace
Kanaan's path into the program did not run through an engineering lab. His background spans business administration, international security, and artificial intelligence.
Before the mission begins, he faces a year of intensive training.
Summer 2027 in the Swiss Alps
No one leaves Earth on Asclepios VII. In summer 2027, the crew will enter an isolation mission inside a controlled environment in the Swiss Alps, built to recreate the conditions of a mission on the Moon.
Kanaan will take part representing two names at once: AUB and Lebanon.
