European Space Agency to launch first disabled astronaut in space

The European Space Agency has announced its plan to hire and launch the world’s first physically disabled astronaut.

Several para-astronauts have applied for the role, ESA said. The space agency recently closed the decennial recruitment call for the 22-member space programme after it received 22,000 applicants. The Agency noted that it will work on gender balance as it received just 24 per cent of women applicants.

European Space Agency head Josef Aschbacher said, “We would like to launch an astronaut with a disability, which would be the first time ever.”

ESA’s 22-member space programme: Key Points

•The space programme will be ESA’s 7-billion-euro budget mission and is a third of NASA’s. ESA’s seven or eight launches a year are dwarfed by the 40 carried out by the US.

How Space sector is evolving?

•The space sector is developing extremely fast, said ESA head Josef Aschbacher.

•The Ariane rocket of the ESA for commercial satellite launches faces tough competition from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin.

•Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder has already announced his plans to be the first tech billionaire man to go into space on his own company’s rocket.

About the European Space Agency (ESA)

•The European Space Agency, established in 1975 is an inter-governmental organization that consists of 22 member states.

•ESA is headquartered in Paris and its mission is space exploration that includes Earth observation, exploration missions to the Moon and other planets, human spaceflight, science & telecommunication etc.