Chichester-born astronaut ready for lift-off

Major Timothy Peake, who grew up in Westbourne with his parents Nigel and Angela, became part of space history when he was selected to join the European Space Agency (Esa) in May 2009.

The former Chichester High School for Boys pupil was the first official Britain to be named on the space team.

Major Peake, who was a helicopter test pilot, completed the year’s training which involved learning orbital physics, spacecraft systems and Russian. He can now be considered for future missions to the international space station, which orbits 220 miles above the Earth.

During his training Major Peake travelled to Nasa’s astronaut base in Houston, to the Russian astronaut training centre in Star City outside Moscow, to Tsukuba Space Centre in Japan, and spent two weeks on a survival course in Sardinia.

He is from a class of six astronauts which the Esa named in May last year. Alongside Peake, 38, they include Samantha Cristoforetti, 33, the first woman to become a lieutenant in the Italian airforce; Alexander Gerst, 34, a German geophysicist; Andreas Mogensen, 34, a Danish aeronautical engineer; Luca Parmitano, 34, an Italian test pilot; and Thomas Pesquet, 32, a French engineer and commercial pilot.

If Major Peake is selected for a mission he will have to do three more years of specialised training before taking his first trip into space.

The latest Esa team will now start working in a support role with astronauts already on the space station.