Tim Peake RETIRES: UK spaceman was first British astronaut to walk in space

British spaceman Tim Peake has announced his retirement as an astronaut.

The 50-year-old from Chichester, who in 2016 carried out the first ever spacewalk by an ‘official’ British astronaut, said it had been ‘the most extraordinary experience’ but that he would now be assuming an ambassadorial role for space.

A former British Army Air Corps helicopter pilot, Major Peake was selected as a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut in 2009 and spent six months onboard the International Station Station between 2015 and 2016.

He was Britain’s first ever government-funded astronaut and the first person since Helen Sharman in 1991 to wear the Union flag in space.

‘Being an ESA astronaut has been the most extraordinary experience,’ Major Peake said.

‘I have had the privilege of working with an exceptional team of dedicated individuals during the past thirteen years with the agency, which has been incredibly exciting and rewarding,’

‘By assuming the role of an ambassador for human spaceflight, I shall continue to support ESA and the UK Space Agency, with a focus on educational outreach, and I look forward to the many exciting opportunities ahead.’

He later tweeted: ‘I’ve always believed in moving forward & embracing new challenges, even if you don’t know what’s round the corner – it keeps things interesting. 

‘My years with @esa have been a fantastic phase of my life & I look forward to remaining part of the ESA family as an ambassador.’

Major Peake has been doing ambassadorial work for space and science alongside ESA and the UK Space Agency since 2019, but will now take up the role full-time.

It ends any chance of him going to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis missions, the first of which blasted off at the end of last year.

The UK, as an ESA member state, is involved with the Artemis programme and will be supplying equipment for a new lunar space station, called Lunar Gateway.

NASA hopes that Artemis III, due to launch in 2025, will land the first woman and first person of colour on the moon. 

While US space agency officials were in Britain for talks in July last year, they hinted that there would be a future astronaut spot on Artemis for one of its ‘international partners’.

This prompted speculation that Major Peake might have an opportunity to become the oldest astronaut to walk on the lunar surface, but if a UK astronaut is to do so it will now not be him.

It was only a couple of years ago he said he hoped to embark on a second mission to space and become the first British person on the moon. 

He said in October 2020: ‘My name is still in the frame and I hope to have a second mission. We’ll have to wait and see.’  

Major Peake’s decision to permanently step down from active astronaut duty comes just two months after ESA unveiled three more British citizens as new astronaut candidates.

They included John McFall, a former Paralympic sprinter who is the world’s first ever ‘parastronaut’, astrophysicist Rosemary Coogan and Meganne Christian. 

Northern Ireland-born Coogan is set to begin training in April, while McFall is joining a feasibility study to see if he can fly as a disabled astronaut. 

Christian was chosen as a reserve and could join ESA’s astronaut corps if someone else drops out.

During his six-month stint onboard the International Space Station from 2015-2016, Major Peake became the first person to complete a spacewalk while sporting a Union Jack on his shoulder, to repair part of the station’s supply. 

He controlled a rover remotely in the Stevenage Mars Yard, helped dock two spacecraft, ran the London marathon on a treadmill, and took part in scientific experiments for ESA and international partners.

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Before returning to Earth in June of that year, Major Peake also worked with the UK Space Agency to engage more than two million schoolchildren across the UK – approximately one in three schools – in over 30 projects.

He was the second UK citizen to fly to space after Sharman, who went to the Mir space station in 1991 on a private programme organised with the Russians. 

Other Britons have also flown with NASA but as US citizens rather than UK ones.

Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: ‘Tim Peake is an incredible ambassador for the UK space sector and has played a leading role over the past decade. 

‘Not only has he carried out important scientific work, during his historic Principia mission to the International Space Station and while on Earth, but he has inspired millions with his passion for space and the opportunities it offers.’

He added: ‘Tim has played a huge role in promoting STEM education and space careers, and has shone a light on the hundreds of roles involved in getting an astronaut into space, and across the wider space sector.

 ‘It’s thanks to Tim and those who have worked with him that we can look forward to a new generation of skilled scientists, engineers, lawyers, designers and more, who will help the UK space sector soar to new heights.

‘We wish Tim all the best and look forward to supporting him in his next adventure, knowing that the UK’s role in human space exploration is in the safe hands of the new generation of ESA astronauts from the UK: Rosemary Coogan, Meganne Christian, and the world’s first astronaut with a physical disability, John McFall.’