TIM PEAKE HOPES A BRIT COULD BE ON THE MOON WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS

Tim Peake hopes a Brit will be on the moon within ten years and said a mission to Mars is 'absolutely achievable'.

The famous astronaut, who remains the last Brit to make it into space, has already said he thinks boots will be on the moon by 2026.

He thinks a Brit will follow in the next 10 years and said he would 'love' to be involved.

The 52-year-old said he would also throw his hat in the ring for any future trips to Mars.

However the dad-of-two admitted that he may have to leave it to the next generation.

Speaking on White Wine Question Time, Peake explained: 'Gosh, every astronaut is going to have their hand up for that mission. It's going to be incredible. I would love a moon mission - I really would.

READ MORE MailOnline looks at Tim Peake's greatest achievements 

 

'Will I get a moon mission? I don't know, I doubt it. I've kind of stepped down from the European Space Agency and we now have a new class of ESA astronauts.

'I'd like to think that a Brit will be on the moon within the next 10 years but it may be that one of the new class should be the ones who go and do those missions. It's really exciting and I think it's fantastic that we're going to be part of it.'

The British astronaut revealed in October that he was going to quit his retirement in order to lead the UK's first astronaut mission. Peake will lead the crew of four on a £200million project to the International Space Station with the mission being funded by Axiom.

But the Chichester-man doesn't want to stop there: he's also expressed an interest in going to Mars in what he described as a 'high risk' mission.

He said: 'Whilst you might think Mars is incredibly audacious, incredibly high risk, I think it's absolutely achievable: we just need to make sure that we've got options at various stages.

'I think fundamentally what makes Mars so audacious is the fact that once you go, you're so committed (for a three year mission).'

Major Peake had previously hinted at a return; when asked by James O’Brien during a recent podcast if he'd ever go back to space he replied 'never say never'. 

Peake said: 'If you'd asked me that a year ago, I'd have said there perhaps weren't a huge amount of opportunities.

Tim Peake's journey to space 

2008: Applied to the European Space Agency. Start of rigorous, year-long screening process

2009: Selected to join ESA's Astronaut Corps and appointed an ambassador for UK science and space-based careers

2010: Completed 14 months of astronaut basic training

2011: Peake and five other astronauts joined a team living in caves in Sardinia for a week.

2012: Spent 10 days living in a permanent underwater base in Florida 

2013: Assigned a six-month mission to the International Space Station

2015: Blasted off to the ISS  

'Actually, right now, I think there's more opportunity than I've even realized. There's a lot happening in the commercial space sector.

'It's really a "never say never" – there are plenty of opportunities.'

Tim Peake, originally from Chichester in Sussex, was selected as an ESA astronaut back in 2009 and spent six months on the ISS from December 2015.

When he blasted off to the ISS, he became the first officially British spaceman, although he was not the first Briton in space.

It was back in 1991 when Sheffield-born chemist Helen Sharman not only became the first British spacewoman, but the first British person in space.

Before both Sharman and Peake had been into space, other UK-born men had done so through NASA's space programme, thanks to acquiring US citizenship.

But Sharman and Peake are considered the first 'official' British people in space as they were both representing their country of birth.

Major Peake also became the first astronaut funded by the British government.

During his time on the ISS, he ran the London marathon and became the first person to complete a spacewalk while sporting a Union flag on his shoulder.

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2024-05-05T10:53:06Z dg43tfdfdgfd