Ahead of a new national tour that includes a visit to Bath on 6 September, British astronaut Tim Peake explains how he’s looking forward to a potential return to space, as part of a commercially sponsored UK mission.
Tim Peake made history in 2015 when he became the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), where he spent six months living and working in space. And now he’s looking forward to a potential return to space, as part of a commercially sponsored, UK mission. As he starts on his new tour Astronauts: The Quest To Explore Space – where he will tell the stories of pioneering astronauts from the 1950s through to the current Artemis programme to return to the Moon – he shares some of his thoughts about space travel.
Tim’s next focus will be on his own possible future exploration. The UK Space Agency was approached last year by Axiom Space – a US-based company offering commercial space travel and currently working on the first commercial space station as a replacement for the ISS – to support their ambitions for an all-UK mission. Axiom’s short-duration mission will be focused on scientific research, technology demonstrations and educational outreach, with potential applicants already invited to pitch research projects for the mission.
“It’s a hugely exciting project,” Tim said. “Would I like to go back to the ISS if there was a chance with Axiom? Absolutely – I don’t know of any astronaut who wouldn’t want another mission to space. It’s just an incredible experience.
“I am also delighted that we are looking at getting more British astronauts their wings. There are huge opportunities in the rapidly growing space sector, and it’s important that the UK is properly represented. It gives security to the future of human space flight for the UK, to be part of missions going forwards.”
The Axiom Space mission will be the first commercially-sponsored space flight, meaning no cost to the UK taxpayer, and it’s hoped it will open doors to further commercial partnerships.
“Space touches all our lives in many different ways, from climate monitoring, communications, and navigation to financial transactions, agriculture and disaster response,” Tim explains. “Most companies are reliant on some form of space-based technology today and there is huge scope for private investment. It’s new territory, but we hope to make it work.”
Tim had announced his retirement from the European Space Agency (ESA) early last year, but within months talk had started around the Axiom mission. Tim’s excitement and passion around all things space as well as STEM education (science, technology, engineering and maths) shows no sign of waning, especially given the expansion of commercial space exploration alongside the government-led agencies such as NASA and ESA.
“The prospect of an all-UK mission is a hugely exciting opportunity for science and technology companies, and for education and outreach,” he adds. “The impact of my ESA mission in 2015 was reaching and engaging with 2 million school children, and with potentially four Brits going to the ISS together we can do even more.
“This would showcase some of the cutting-edge science that the UK is involved in, in areas such as AI, quantum technology, biological engineering, advanced manufacturing and more. But more importantly, it’s a new realm of collaboration and cooperation with our international partners in a post-Brexit environment.”
These are momentous times for the space industry. While a moonwalk is on the cards for the Artemis 3 crew in 2026, and work is ongoing towards a crewed mission to Mars, some of the most exciting work will have impacts much closer to home in the coming years.
“We have occupied the ISS for over 20 years now – and it is essentially a giant science lab,” Tim explains about the research taking place in orbit. “But we’re getting more specialist in the science taking place there now. There is more targeted pharmaceutical research as companies realise the potential available to them. For example, growing protein crystals in space for motor neurone and Parkinson’s diseases could lead to much better treatments.
“We’re at the stage where space can become a manufacturing hub for all sorts of things. There are things you can build in space which can’t be built on earth, because of the pressures of gravity, and with costs coming down we can also think about large scale manufacturing in space.
“There are attempts to grow human tissue and organs such as a heart on Earth, using bio ink and 3D printers. The problem is that small structures collapse due to gravity and need some sort of scaffoldingBut in space, you can 3D print human organs more easily, because there is no gravity causing them to collapse in on themselves.
“It sounds like the wildest science fiction, but it really is science fact and it’s where we are at right now. And that’s when space research starts to mean something very real for people on Earth.
“Of course, there is the caveat question: Should we send lots of rockets up into space? This is because we think about the debris from launches and space pollution. But many space companies, some of whom I am working with, are also out there focusing on that clean-up effort, the removal of space debris and creating cleaner, more efficient rocket fuel.”
While all these prospects for the future of space travel are exciting, what most drives Tim’s enthusiasm is the power of inspiration. “The legacy I’m most proud of from my mission is without doubt the inspiration for future generations. When I go to schools and colleges, it’s amazing to see older students saying ‘I remember watching you launch and you inspired me to go off and follow these subjects’.
“So many people are inspired by space. We are all mesmerised by the universe – that place where you can wonder and you can dream.”
Tickets are sold out for Tim Peake’s event in Bath on 6 September at The Forum: fane.co.uk