464 Austrians want to become ESA astronauts

22,589 people have submitted applications to become astronauts to the European Space Agency (ESA). The numbers after the application deadline on June 18 are not yet final, but already significantly exceed those of the last such call (2008) when 8,413 interested people registered. Among the all-aspirants are 464 Austrians, 115 of whom are women. More than 7,100 applications have been received from France, ESA announced on Wednesday.

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet riding Canadarm2 during the first spacewalk of his Alpha mission on 16 June 2021. (NASA–S. Kimbrough)

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, who hails from Austria, spoke in Paris of tough competition: "It's a dream job to be an astronaut." The selection process has six stages - the new space crew will not be decided until the end of next year. The search is for four to six permanent spacewalkers, plus a "reserve" of up to 20 people.
The proportion of female applicants has risen to around 24 percent, compared with just over 15 percent a decade ago. From Germany, 3,700 applicants are vying for one of the coveted places, and from Switzerland there are 670 candidates.

Applicants must have at least a master's degree in science, engineering, mathematics or computer science. There are height requirements, and the age limit is 50. More than 200 people applied for the new position for an astronaut with a physical disability. Two Austrians are competing in this category.