Aspiring Astronaut

UKSEDS Aspiring Astronaut Bursary

UKSEDS are delighted to announce a new grant, which aims to encourage a diverse range of applicants, from low socio-economic backgrounds, to the ESA Astronaut Selection Programme. We will be offering a number of grants to cover the cost of the medical examination that is required as part of the application. This will provide successful applicants with the opportunity to apply for the ESA programme when, otherwise, they would have financially struggled. This is also open to the Parastronaut Programme.

To qualify for the grant you must meet the following criteria:

Meet ESA’s eligibility criteria
Demonstrate financial need
Have been enrolled at a university within the last 5 years (including postgrad. study)
Be a UK national.

Applicants who are looking to take the medical examination outside of the UK will be considered on a case by case basis.

If you want to become an astronaut but need financial support to apply, we are looking forward to receiving your application! We particularly encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, as well as those applying to the parastronaut feasibility project to, apply for this grant.

Applications close on the 9th of April 2021 at 12 midnight GMT. The application will require:

a CV (maximum 2 pages, recommended to be in Europass format);
a letter of motivation (this is intended to be a draft of the statement you are planning to submit to ESA - maximum 1 page); and
a letter of recommendation (written by someone that knows you in a professional and/or academic capacity, optional but recommended).

We will aim to get back to you within a week of the application closing date.

If you have any questions regarding the application or your eligibility please contact Anna at [email protected].

This bursary is provided by UKSEDS, the UK's national student space society. To evaluate financial need we will be looking at a variety of factors including but not limited to: net income, financial assessments that have already been made by external organisations and additional extenuating circumstances. Please be advised that while we are a student-run organisation, we aim to support candidates as best we can. Where necessary, we intend to consult with professionals in our industry network.

The event is organised by UKSEDS, the UK's national student space society.