Tim
Peake
Ready to become
United Kingdom’s
official ISS resident
By Sam Mundell
On 20th November this year, a Union Jack Flag
will be safely stored on board a Soyuz rocket,
and, along with its owner, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and make
its way to the International Space Station.
This is not the first time that a British born citizen has
flown in space, but it will be the first time a Briton will
launch without the need for private funding of any
sort, or having to take American citizenship. The mission will also be the first time a UK astronaut has flown
and worked on the ISS as a member of the European Space Agency Astronaut Corps, and the first
time a Briton has flown in space for over 20 years.
Early life
Timothy Peake was born 7 April 1972 in Chichester, England. He was educated at Chichester
High School for Boys, and on leaving school a career in the British Army beckoned. Having graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy in 1992, a
successful career in the Army Air Corps followed.
A qualified helicopter pilot and test pilot, Peake is
well equipped for the rigorous training all astronauts
must undertake before they are allocated a mission in space. His military background and ability to
work under pressure will stand him in good stead for
the training he has to complete, and the six-monthlong mission he will undertake later in the year.
Despite having a thriving space industry, the UK has
never invested in its own manned spaceflight programme.
Unmanned space research has been the priority of the
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