The European Space Agency and The Pokémon Company International have announced a partnership, with a Pikachu plush that spent 67 days on the International Space Station serving as the centerpiece of a Europe-themed touring exhibition. Pokémon GO will also launch limited-time events at select museums and space agency locations.
This Pikachu plush accompanied ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot on her mission, orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station for approximately 1,040 revolutions between April 11 and June 17, 2026, before returning to Earth.
The new exhibition, co-produced by both parties, will combine scientific content from European space missions and feature Pokémon characters on some display panels. The exhibition will make its debut in Paris, Rome, Noordwijk, Darmstadt, Villanueva de la Cañada, and Jülich during the European Space Agency's Open Days, held from late September to early October.
Afterward, the tour will visit the Science Museum in London, the Deutsches Museum in Nuremberg, and Lucca Comics & Games, among other locations, running until April 2027. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher stated that this collaboration aims to help the European public engage with space exploration in new ways.
The Pokémon GO collaboration event will take place at six participating museums from October 4, 2026, to April 30, 2027, including the Science Museum in London, Cité de l'espace in Toulouse, and Space Expo in Noordwijk. Astronaut Pikachu will appear in one-star Raid Battles at these venues; defeating it gives players a chance to catch location-specific variants, including shiny versions.
Timed Research will be available throughout the collaboration period, while Field Research will be limited to October 4–10. During this time, spawn rates for Pikachu, Clefairy, Magnemite, Staryu, Lunatone, Solrock, Elgyem, and Grubbin will increase near participating venues; all except Grubbin may appear in their shiny forms.
Seven additional ESA sites will offer the same gameplay from October 4 to 10, though the event Pokémon caught locally will not have location-specific backgrounds. Pokémon has previously released space-themed content; in 2020, players were given a free Pikachu themed after the International Space Station's "Kibo" module in Pokémon Sword and Shield.