Tim Peake to command Britain’s first independent space mission
Britain’s first space mission could take off as early as next year, Axiom Space has said, as the company confirmed that astronaut Tim Peake will command the voyage.
Axiom joined forces with the UK Space Agency last year in a collaboration which could fly an entirely British crew to the International Space Station (ISS) for a two-week research assignment.
On Tuesday, Axiom said 52-year-old Major Peake had joined its astronaut corps and would serve as a strategic adviser for the mission.
Tekipaul Bhatia, chief revenue officer at Axiom, told The Telegraph that the mission was progressing quickly and could launch at the end of 2025 or early 2026 if sufficient finance could be raised and scientific projects readied in time.
“Tim would be the commander of the mission,” said Mr Bhatia. “What he will be doing is leading this mission. Right now he’s the spokesperson and building up the momentum, once training starts he is the commander.
‘It’s a brutal environment’
“He will do quite a bit of science and outreach, but his primary function will be the safety of the crew, leading the crew as their commander during training but also when they are up in the station. It’s a brutal environment and things happen.
“They have to be able to handle emergency situations and participate in the maintenance of the station, of which Tim obviously has a lot of experience, so as commander that will be his primary objective.”
Major Peake, who flew into space in December 2015, spent six months on the ISS, and held several roles at the European Space Agency (Esa) including head of astronaut operations, before retiring from the astronaut programme in January 2023.
The other crew members could be the three Britons selected for Esa’s astronaut programme in 2023.
They are British paralympian John McFall, 43, who is the world’s first disabled astronaut, as well as astronomer Rosemary Coogan, 33, and Meganne Christian, 36, an industrial chemist.
Last week, McFall, who lost his right leg after a motorbike accident at the age of 19, was cleared by the Esa following a lengthy feasibility study to find out if he would be able to carry out astronaut duties.
Major Peake told The Telegraph that although he had not been in space for eight years, he had kept in training and made sure his health was in good condition in case he was selected again.
He also said he was not worried that he was too old for a new mission.
“The normal age for astronauts is older than you think,” he said: “If you look on board the space station at the moment, the average age is pretty old, it’s certainly older than I am, and the European Space Agency has 63 for its retirement age.
“As astronauts, between training and between missions we keep ourselves physically fit and every year we have an astronaut medical. It’s not making sure that you have Olympic levels of fitness or anything like that, it’s making sure that you’re a low-risk candidate, unlikely to have a medical problem in space.
“So it’s in our own interests as astronauts to stay fit and it makes it less punishing when you return to Earth, coming back to Earth is pretty punishing.”
Speaking about his new position with Axiom, he added: “This role will support the team at Axiom and the UK Space Agency in terms of getting this all-UK mission off the ground and making it a reality. Like any astronaut you speak to, if you’re offered a second opportunity to go into space, I think most people will take it so if the opportunity comes along I would definitely take it.”
Axiom Space has already sent three private astronaut missions to the ISS, launching from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket.
Launch will likely cost £45m per astronaut
The launch cost is likely to be around $55 million (£45 million) per astronaut, and the mission is largely relying on private funding from companies wishing to conduct research in microgravity. British universities, research institutions and private companies have been invited to submit ideas for experiments and technology projects that could be carried out on the space station.
It will be the first time Britain has carried out an independent mission, although it will be supported by Esa. Mr Bhatia added: “This is a first-of-its-kind mission and it’s extremely audacious. It is showing that a public-private-partnership can literally be a space programme for a nation.
“We’ve spent the last several months working on a strategy to bring in corporate partners. Tim coming on board is a very important signal for credibility, to show that this is happening.”
Speaking about the timeline for launch, he said: “It’s very difficult to predict but I would say the end of 2025, early 2026, but it’s a moving target.”
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.
“Astronauts are the visible face of human spaceflight, but this mission is fundamentally about showcasing what space can do for citizens.
“From cutting-edge science and innovative technology demonstrations in microgravity, to the education and outreach work that will run alongside it, this mission shows how space breaks down barriers to opportunity and kickstarts economic growth.”