At the end of June, ESA's six astronaut candidates were thrown out of a helicopter, left to drift at sea and abandoned under the hot Mediterranean sun - but luckily they were well-trained and under supervision. Astronauts have to be prepared for almost everything in space, but also anything on the ground. This could be, for example, an emergency landing in a faraway place: spacecraft leaving the International Space Station may be forced to come down in the sea, desert, tropical rain forest or on a glacier, in summer or winter. Read more
Ten past and present ESA astronauts will be at the ILA international aerospace show at Berlin's Schoenefeld on Friday 11 June. At the same time, ESA will continue its presence on its shared stand. ESA will participate in ILA's 'Spaceflight: YesterdayTodayTomorrow' workshop on Friday, starting at 12:00 CEST in the Space Hall (Raumfahrt-Halle). Read more
Interview: British astronaut Tim Peake Science correspondent Julian Rush talks to British astronaut Timothy Peake about his hopes and fears for a career in space exploration.
It was a moment to savour for UK space enthusiasts - a meeting between Britain's new astronaut candidate Tim Peake and Michael Foale. UK-born Dr Foale became a US citizen to pursue his orbital dream; and has subsequently become one of the most experienced astronauts in the business. He congratulated Major Peake on his selection and urged Britain to play a greater role in human spaceflight.
Britain's first official astronaut Tim Peake has defended the role of humans in space against critics who argue it is a waste of money. Within minutes of stepping inside the doors of London's Science Museum, Tim Peake finds himself surrounded by eager young children. There is little to explain this interest that is being shown in him - he is softly spoken, about average height, of slim build and has short red hair. The only clue is a small insignia on the left breast of his shirt. It reads "ESA" - European Space Agency.
Danish aerospace engineer Andreas Mogensen will join the European Space Agency Astronaut Corps The European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen Andreas Mogensen as the first Danish astronaut to join the European space programme.
Italian Woman Europe's 1st Astronaut: Air force pilot Samantha Cristoforetti makes history Italy got its first woman astronaut Wednesday when a 32-year-old Italian Air Force pilot became the European Space Agency's first female pick. Samantha Cristoforetti, 32, an air force lieutenant with an engineering degree and a passion for scuba diving, was among the six new members of ESA's astronaut team.
Army test pilot Timothy Peake says he is still in a state of shock after he was named as one of Europe's six new astronauts, fulfilling his childhood dream. The 37-year-old says he is "privileged" and "amazed" to be given the prospect of a space flight - just don't ask him to say that in Russian.
ESA today presented the six individuals who will become Europe's new astronauts. The new recruits will join the European Astronaut Corps and start their training to prepare for future missions to the International Space Station, and beyond.
The new astronauts are:
1. Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian 2. Alexander Gerst, German 3. Andreas Mogensen, Danish 4. Luca Parmitano, Italian 5. Timothy Peake, British 6. Thomas Pesquet, French
Follow the press conference to present Europe's new astronauts live on the ESA website from 13:15 CEST (11:15 UT) on 20 May. Live coverage is also available via satellite. Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, and Simonetta Di Pippo, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight, will present the new astronauts at ESA Headquarters.