Tim Peake was the first British ESA astronaut to visit the International Space Station, where his work during mission Principia captured the hearts and minds of millions.

He has a background as a test pilot and a British Army Air Corps officer and he is also a STEM ambassador and best-selling author.

In May 2009 Tim was selected as an ESA astronaut and after arduous training he was assigned to a mission to the International Space Station in May 2013. After many months spent in Russia learning how to operate the Soyuz spacecraft, he launched to space on 15 December 2015.

During his Principia mission Tim took part in over 250 scientific experiments. He conducted a spacewalk to repair the Station’s power supply, drove a rover across a simulated Mars terrain and helped dock two spacecraft. He was also actively connected with the public back on Earth – his mission focused on educational outreach, engaging more than 2 million schoolchildren across Europe in over 30 projects during his time in space.