More than 22,000 people have applied to become European Space Agency astronauts – News

According to ESA, of the total number of candidates, more than 200 people competed for the newly created space for an astronaut with a physical disability, and it is expected that the chosen candidate will work to determine the necessary adaptations for a future space mission.

Of the total number of candidates, 5,400 are women (24%). In 2008, women represented 15.5% of the candidates, who totaled 8,413.

The nominations, whose submission deadline was June 18, arrived from all Member States, including Portugal, and from Associate Members including Lithuania, whose citizens have recently become eligible for selection due to the country’s new status as Associate Member of ESA.

The worldwide announcement of selected astronauts is scheduled for the end of 2022.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said in a statement that the Agency “has sought to attract a wide range of candidates through its recruitment campaign and looks forward to the challenge of selecting the most suitable candidates for Europe.”

“I would like to thank everyone who applied for the time and effort they have already devoted to their astronaut application. We appreciate your patience as our team works to ensure a fair and complete process and remind everyone interested in space that being an astronaut is not the only opportunity available at ESA. In the coming years, we will be looking for a wide range of space professionals.”

“Representing all parts of our society is a concern we take very seriously. I look forward to seeing which of these candidates will join our existing astronaut corps and help contribute to that representation on Earth and in space,” said ESA Director of Human Exploration and Robotics David Parker, quoted in the statement.

Currently, ESA’s active astronaut corps is made up of seven astronauts – from Italy (2), Germany (2), United Kingdom (1), Denmark (1) and France (1).

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