Former European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake has joined Axiom Space’s astronaut team as a strategic advisor supporting a potential all-UK human spaceflight mission.
Peake has had one spaceflight to date – his successful “Principia” mission, which launched in 2015. He stepped down from ESA in 2023 after a lengthy sabbatical. In an interview with James O’Brien in 2023, Peake said “never say never” when asked if he might go back to space and highlighted the commercial missions flown by Axiom Space.
Shortly after Peake’s interview, the UK Space Agency signed a deal with Axiom Space to send a contingent of Brits into space on a commercial mission.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed by Axiom Space and the UK Space Agency in October was to “explore the feasibility” of a UK-crewed commercial mission that would be funded by private sponsorships from British companies.
Readers might remember Project Juno, which selected Helen Sharman as the first Briton in space more than 30 years ago. That was also supposed to have been funded at least in part through commercial sponsorship, although the final cost fell to politicians to deal with.
Axiom Space described Peake as “a celebrated figure in the space community.”
The company said: “He will support the team’s strategy to confirm and secure funding for this one-nation space exploration effort.”
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 micro-gravity, 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.”
Peake, unlike his peers from the 2009 ESA astronaut group, has completed only one spaceflight. In 2020, Dr David Parker, who was Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA, told The Register the agency had made a commitment to member states that all the astronauts would get a second flight.
While Peake is currently only working in an advisory capacity, his arrival at Axiom Space won’t do his odds of a second jaunt to space any harm. ®
