Paris, 9 February 2021. – Who’s next: The European Space Agency (ESA) recruits new astronauts. “For the first time in 11 years, ESA is looking for new astronauts,” the agency said yesterday. The new recruits will work alongside ESA’s existing astronauts “as Europe enters a new era of space exploration”.
ESA sees the recruitment program, which starts on 31 March, as “a real generational change”. The agency strongly encourages women to apply, “because we are seeking to expand gender diversity in our ranks”.
“Thanks to a strong mandate from ESA Member States at Space19+, our Ministerial Council in 2019, Europe is taking its place at the heart of space exploration,” ESA Director General Jan Wörner said. “To go farther than we ever have before, we need to look wider than we ever have before. This recruitment process is the first step and I look forward to watching the agency develop across all areas of space exploration and innovation, with our international partners, in the years to come.”
The recruitment program runs from 31 March to 28 May 2021; applications can be submitted on ESA’s career website.
