Along with Sophie Adenot, Pablo Alvarez Fernandez, Raphael Liegeois, Marco Sieber, and Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Ms. Coogan obtained astronaut certification following a year of intense basic astronaut training.
The astronauts are now qualified to go into space after obtaining the certification at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
After outperforming over 22,500 applications, astrophysicist Ms. Coogan—who holds two master's degrees from Durham University and a PhD in astronomy from Sussex—was chosen to participate in the ESA astronaut training programme in 2022.
Congratulations to #RoyalNavalReservist Rosemary Coogan on her graduation from the @esa's astronaut training - making her one step closer to space. She spoke of her pride of how far she has come after being selected in 2022, beating 22,500 applicants.
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) April 22, 2024
🔗https://t.co/6Nw6SEzhjF pic.twitter.com/1O4v9NuIb2
She will be the third astronaut from the United Kingdom, joining Tim Peake, who visited the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015, and Helen Sharman, who became the first British astronaut in space in 1989.
Proficiency in space walking, flight engineering, robotics, life support systems, survival, and medical training were all part of basic astronaut training.
Pre-assignment and mission-specific training phases will now be undertaken by them, laying the groundwork for upcoming trips to the International Space Station and beyond.
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