People in Space

The European Space Agency has astronauts, a training centre and a laboratory in orbit, yet it has never built a spacecraft of its own to carry them. That is the central fact of Europe's human spaceflight: strong in contribution, dependent on partners for transport. This chapter looks at how Europeans first flew, the Spacelab laboratory that came out of the 1973 bargain (Chapter 2), the Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station, some astronauts worth knowing, including a British one and the first Hungarian in space, and the question of why Europe never built its own crew vehicle. Details are given from general knowledge and flagged where they should be checked.

Flying as Guests

The first Europeans in space flew as guests of the two superpowers. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the Soviet Union invited citizens of friendly countries to fly on its missions, under a programme known as Intercosmos. A Czechoslovak flew first in 1978, and a Hungarian followed in 1980: Bertalan Farkas, who flew to the Salyut 6 space station on Soyuz 36 in May 1980 and became the first Hungarian in space (check the date). France had its own agreement with the Soviet Union, and a French astronaut flew in 1982. For Western European countries outside such deals, the American Space Shuttle was the route.

Spacelab and the First ESA Astronauts

Spacelab, the laboratory built by Europe under the 1973 agreement and led by Germany, flew in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Its first flight was in late 1983. On board was the German physicist Ulf Merbold, usually described as the first ESA astronaut to fly in space and the first non-American to fly on the Shuttle (check). ESA had selected its first astronauts in 1978, and the group included Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, who later flew several Shuttle missions and worked on repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope (Chapter 6). Spacelab flew a series of missions in the 1980s and 1990s and gave European scientists a laboratory in orbit.

The European Astronaut Centre

ESA's astronauts are based at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, which selects and trains them (Chapter 3). They come from member countries, and ESA tries to share flights across those countries in line with their contributions, an echo of the fair-return rule. A new class was chosen in 2022, and it included, for the first time, a project to select an astronaut with a physical disability, a "parastronaut". The British Paralympian and surgeon John McFall was selected for that role (check the details).

Columbus and the International Space Station

Europe's main contribution to the International Space Station (ISS) is the Columbus laboratory, launched in 2008 on an American Space Shuttle and attached to the station (check the date). ESA also built other parts, including a viewing dome, the Cupola, and several connecting modules. For a few years Europe also flew its own cargo spacecraft, the Automated Transfer Vehicle, which delivered supplies and fuel to the station between 2008 and 2014 and could boost its orbit (check).

A British Example: Tim Peake

Britain's route into space has been unusual. Helen Sharman became the first Briton in space in 1991, flying to the Soviet Mir station on a privately funded mission, and not through ESA. Britain, which for many years chose not to take part in ESA's human spaceflight programme, later changed course. Tim Peake flew to the ISS in December 2015 on a Russian Soyuz as an ESA astronaut and stayed for about six months. His mission, called Principia, included a spacewalk and a run of the London Marathon on a treadmill aboard the station, and it was followed closely in Britain (check the details). It is generally seen as the point at which British public interest in ESA rose.

Hungary in Space

Hungary's story is a good example of how national flights and ESA relate. After Farkas flew in 1980, the Hungarian-born software designer Charles Simonyi, who worked in the United States, flew to the ISS as a private participant in 2007 and again in 2009 (check). In 2025 a second Hungarian, Tibor Kapu, flew to the station on a commercial mission as part of a Hungarian national project (check the details). Hungary joined ESA as a full member in 2015 (Chapter 9). The details of the 2025 flight, including who organised it and how it relates to ESA, should be confirmed before quoting.

The Missing Spacecraft

For all this, Europe has not had its own way to carry people to orbit. In the 1980s it planned a small spaceplane, Hermes, which was cancelled in the early 1990s because of the cost. ESA astronauts have therefore flown on the American Space Shuttle, on Russian Soyuz rockets and, more recently, on American commercial capsules. ESA is also building the service module for NASA's Orion capsule, which is intended to carry crews to the Moon under the Artemis programme, in return for flight opportunities for European astronauts (check the current status). So Europe remains a contributor to human spaceflight, and not an independent operator.

Exercises

Next chapter: Satellites in Everyday Life, which turns to navigation, weather and communications.