Francois Spiero

François Spiero studied science and engineering in France (Ecole Centrale de Lyon), in the USA (Cornell University) and at ISU (SSP89). After receiving his Ph.D. in Space Studies in 1990, he went to ESA/ESTEC and worked there in several areas, particularly in planetary exploration, telecommunications, and Earth observation. Francois Spiero then joined CNES in 1997 and became a member of the French delegation to ESA.

In 2004, he was appointed Manager of Human Spaceflight and Exploration at CNES. In that capacity, Dr. Spiero dealt with ISS and astronaut affairs, parabolic flights, and human exploration. He chaired various European and international committees. He was also the CNES Program Manager of the French astronaut’s mission on board the ISS in 2016-2017. After that mission, Dr. Spiero became the CNES Strategic Foresight Manager. He was in charge of the French Space Foresight Observatory, which establishes long-term scenarios, notably related to permanent human settlements on the Moon and Mars.

In 2021, he was appointed European Space Affairs Manager at the French Prime Minister’s Office. In particular, he is a delegate to the Board of EUSPA, the space agency of the European Union.