Out of the thousands who dream of travelling to space, only a handful will have what it takes to embark on the UK’s first ever all-British mission. 

As the UK Space Agency (UKSA) reveals that astronaut Major Tim Peake will lead the mission, the identities of the four-person crew remains unknown.

These four Britons will embark on a two-week expedition to the International Space Station as part of a £200 million project with Houston-based company Axiom Space. 

Aside from Peake, there are only three people in the UK who currently have the training and qualifications to take on such a challenge.  

These potential candidates include the world’s first ‘parastronaut’ John McFall, as well as the female astronauts Rosemary Coogan and Meganne Christian.

Tim Peake (pictured) has been chosen to command the first ever all-British space flight to the International Space Station (ISS) 18 months after announcing his retirement

Axiom Space, with whom the UK Space Agency (UKSA) joined forces with last year to fly a completely British crew to the ISS, announced that Major Peake has joined its astronaut corps and will be a strategic advisor for the mission, which could happen as soon as next year.

Astronauts in the all-UK mission will spend a number of days circling the Earth, conducting scientific experiments and taking part in outreach programmes.

Last October, Major Peak suggested that he may be returning to work on space projects by leading a four-person team in a two-week research mission to the ISS.  

Yesterday, those suggestions were confirmed as Axiom Space announced that Major Peak had joined the private company’s astronaut corps.

Major Peak said: ‘I am excited to join Axiom Space and contribute to this pioneering effort.’

‘An all-UK mission represents a significant opportunity for our country to establish a strong presence as well as a leadership role in the commercial space sector.’

However, it remains unclear whether or not Major Peak will be venturing into space once again as Axiom Space describes his role as a ‘strategic advisor’.

In a statement, the company wrote: ‘He will support the team’s strategy to confirm and secure funding for this one-nation space exploration effort.’

This statement appears to imply that Major Peak will continue to focus on outreach and planning as he has done since he stepped down as an astronaut 18 months ago.

Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: ‘Tim Peake is an incredible ambassador for the UK space sector and having him on board the Axiom Space team is a real boost for our work towards a UK astronaut mission.’

The details of the all-British crew remain uncertain but there are only a handful of Britons with sufficient training and experience to join at short notice.

Major Tim will lead the UK Space Agency and Axios Space mission to send an all-British crew to the International Space Station (pictured) 

Major Peake retired from the European Space Agency’s astronaut corps 18 months ago but will now join Axios Space as a ‘strategic advisor’

John McFall, Rosemary Coogan, and Meganne Christian were all selected as part of the European Space Agency’s first new cohort of astronauts in 15 years.

The three Britons were named as future and potential astronauts among a class of 17 men and women chosen from 22,523 candidates.

Having received extensive vetting and training from ESA, they would be a natural choice for a potential British crew.

Rosemary Coogan  

Rosemary Coogan, 33, from Northern Ireland is currently Britain’s only ‘career astronaut’.

After undergoing a year of rigorous training, Ms Coogan finally received her ‘wings’ in April this year, making her a certified ESA astronaut.

An astrophysicist with two master’s degrees from Durham University and an astronomy doctorate from Sussex, Ms Coogan was selected to join the ESA’s astronaut training programme in 2022, after beating more than 22,500 applicants.

Rosemary Coogan (pictured) is the UK’s only career astronaut having completed her basic training last year making her one of the few Britons eligible for space flight missions

Rosemary Coogan (pictured) has a doctorate in astronomy and has worked on with the European and French space agencies to analyse data from the James Webb Space Telescope 

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From a young age, Ms Coogan spent several weeks of the year onboard military training vessels with the Sea Cadets. 

She eventually rose through the ranks and became a Midshipman in the Royal Navy Reserves while pursuing her scientific research.

In 2019, Ms Coogan received a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Sussex and went on to join the French space agency in Paris as a research fellow.

There, she worked on ESA missions such as EUCLID and on analysis of data from the James Webb Space Telescope.

In 2022 she was selected as an ESA astronaut candidate and completed her basic astronaut training, making her eligible for spaceflight assignments.

John McFall  

John McFall, 42, is a paralympic sprinter, experienced surgeon, and the world’s first-ever ‘parastronaut’. 

Mr McFall’s right leg was amputated above the knee when he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident at the age of 19.

After being fitted with a prosthesis, Mr McFall learned to run and went on to represent Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, winning bronze in the 100 metres.

After the Olympics, Mr McFall pursued medical studies and became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2016.

John Mc Fall (pictured) is the world’s first ‘parastronaut’ and was chosen to be part of a feasibility study to see if people with lower limb disabilities could travel to space 

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The father of three is currently a Trauma and Orthopaedic Specialist Registrar working in the south of England and is in training for Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeon exams.

Mr McFall was selected by the ESA as an astronaut candidate in 2022 after applying to be part of a feasibility study for astronauts with disabilities.

Currently, the rigorous requirements of space travel limit astronaut positions to able-bodied candidates.

However, if Mr McFall’s feasibility trial is successful potential candidates could include people who have deficiencies in their lower limbs, whether from amputation or congenital defects.

After being named as the world’s first disabled astronaut Mr McFall says he wants to show that ‘space is for everyone’. 

The former Paralympic sprinter won bronze at the 2008 Summer Paralympics and is also a qualified surgeon 

Meganne Christian  

Meganne Christian, 37, was selected to be one of the ESA’s reserve astronauts, meaning she would be called on to go into space if someone else dropped out.

In 2014, Ms Christian completed her doctorate in industrial chemistry at the University of New South Wales and received several national awards for outstanding research.

In addition to being fluent in English, Italian and French, Meganne also speaks Japanese.

Between 2018 and 2021, Ms Christian worked as an over-winter scientist at the Concordia research station in Antarctica.

During this time she participated in biomedical research conducted by the ESA to study the effects of extended time on the base during the Antarctic winter.

In 2022, Ms Christian was selected to be part of the ESA’s 17-person astronaut cohort.

Meganne Christian was chosen as an ESA reserve astronaut in 2022 after having worked with the space agency on biomedical research during her time as an overwinter scientist on the Concordia Antarctic research station 

The three British members of the ESA astronaut class of 2022  (pictured) would all make sensible choices for the first British mission to the ISS 

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Major Tim Peake

Major Tim Peake is the UK’s most experienced astronaut and would be an obvious choice for leading a British crew to space. 

Major Peake retired from the British Army in 2019 after logging 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 types of aircraft including numerous flights as a test pilot.

During his service, Major Peake flew on military operations in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. 

In 2019, he was selected as an ESA astronaut and graduated from basic astronaut training in 2010.

In December 2015, Major Peake became the first British astronaut to visit the ISS.

In his six-month mission, Major Peake completed 250 scientific experiments, conducted a spacewalk to repair the station’s power supply, helped dock two spacecraft, and ran the London Marathon on the station’s treadmill.

From January 2023, Major Peak assumed the role of ESA ambassador and stepped down from the active astronaut core to focus on outreach and education. 

This year he officially joined the astronaut corps of Axiom Space in a special advisory role to lead the first all-British mission to the ISS.

Although he retired from the ESA astronaut corps 18 months ago, Major Tim Peake (pictured) has been suggested as a potential mission leader for the all-British crew