ESA will soon have parastronauts in its ranks!

The European Space Agency (ESA) will soon start its next recruitment campaign for astronauts. The lucky ones will join the agency’s training program. However, this recruitment campaign will be special since the ESA will have to recruit up to six new recruits including women but also people with disabilities.

ESA wants to bring diversity to its teams

Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker has indeed said the agency wants to represent all parts of the world. To do this, it will recruit future “parastronauts”. The organization should thus enlist one or two new recruits in this situation in the new corps of reserve astronauts. These recruits will participate in a feasibility study on access to space flights for people with disabilities.

More specifically, the head of the management of the European Astronaut Center, Guillaume Weerts, said that the candidates to be recruited will be those who have a handicap in both lower limbs and precisely below the knee for reasons of equipment adaptation. People with one leg shorter than the other and people less than 1.30 meters tall will also be able to compete.

However, the goal will be to ensure that future parastronauts can reach the ISS safely. Interior fittings will also be made on various aircraft such as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon or Boeing’s Starliner to allow parastronauts to get out of the capsule themselves in an emergency, reports Euronews.