posted 08-04-2026 02:41 PM               

Sputnik x Poké Ball: ESA and Pokémon team-up for World Space Week

A small ball was once thrown out to "catch 'em all," beginning a competition and attracting the attention of the entire world.

Now, almost 70 years after the former Soviet Union launched the spherical Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, the European Space Agency (ESA) has partnered with The Pokémon Company to raise awareness and celebrate World Space Week, the annual commemoration of the start of the space race.