British astronaut Rosemary Coogan will become the third Briton to fly into space as she follows in the footsteps of Tim Peake

SPACE is about to welcome a new administrator: Rosemary Coogan.

Having completed his training at the European Space Agency (ESA) today, Coogan becomes one of ESA’s first recruits in more than a decade.

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The 33-year-old from Belfast was selected as an ESA astronaut candidate from more than 22,500 applicants in 2022.

Since then, she has trained at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany, undergoing rigorous G-force and underwater “microgravity” tests.

From dreaming about space to now being one step closer to achieving it, I am filled with gratitude and determination to make the most of this extraordinary opportunity.

Rosemary Coogan, ESA astronaut

European space chiefs said Coogan is “among the best” in her class of astronauts, five of whom will join her at graduation.

Josef Aschbacher, the agency’s director general, told The Times before the ceremony: “She certainly did extremely well.”

“They will all fly to the [International] space station this decade,” he added.

“Once assigned to a mission, they still have to undergo special training for that specific mission, which lasts another two years or more.”

The last Briton in space was Tim Peake, who traveled to the space station in 2015.

The second Brit in space: who is Tim Peake?

Astronaut-turned-writer Tim Peake, 52, was the second Briton to reach space in December 2015.

The former Army Air Corps officer became the first British ESA astronaut to travel in space when his mission launched on Soyuz TMA-19M.

He also became the first Briton to complete a spacewalk outside the ISS in 2016.

Sussex-born Peake beat more than 8,000 other applicants for one of six places on ESA’s astronaut training program.

He has accumulated a total of 185 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes in space so far in his astronaut career.

In 2023, Peake announced that he would come out of retirement after just eight months to lead an all-British team of astronauts on a commercial spaceflight with Axiom Space.

Coogan described her graduation moment as “incredibly moving,” adding that she is ready to “embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

“From dreaming about space to now being one step closer to achieving it, I am filled with gratitude and determination to make the most of this extraordinary opportunity,” she said.

Coogan is expected to participate in operational duties on land until she is assigned to an off-planet mission aboard the International Space Station.

The newly minted astronaut was trained to conduct scientific experiments aboard the ISS.

Experiments aboard the ISS have fueled a series of scientific advances, such as the discovery of new water purification systems, continuously lit cold flames, the development of medicines and the way microgravity alters the human body.

Andrew Griffith, UK Minister for Space, said: “Our congratulations to British astronaut, Rosemary Coogan, on getting her astronaut ‘wings’ as she graduates from her year-long basic space training with the European Space Agency in Cologne.

“It is a proud moment for the UK, which will inspire many more here and beyond to see that the sky need not be the limit to their ambitions.”

The first Briton in space: Helen Sharman

Helen Sharman, 60, became the first Briton to travel to space – as well as the first woman to visit the Mir space station in May 1991.

After earning her doctorate in chemistry in 1987, Sharman responded to a radio advertisement seeking applications to be Britain’s first female space explorer.

Sheffield-born Sharman was chosen live on ITV in November 1989, ahead of around 13,000 other candidates.

As part of Project Juno, Sharman spent a total of seven days, 21 hours and 13 minutes in space.

Sharman inspired an entire generation of women to believe that they, too, could work to get people into space.

Vinita Marwaha Madill, a young woman who worked on spacesuit design for the European Space Agency, said of Sharman’s work: “Knowing that there was a female British astronaut helped me overcome any negativity surrounding the career I chose when was younger.

“Even though the career counselor at school wanted me to become a dentist, I knew I wanted to be an astronaut, or at least work on human spaceflight.”