It’s up, up, and away for Dr Rosemary Coogan, Northern Ireland’s very first-ever astronaut who has just graduated from flight school.
Northern Ireland’s very first-ever astronaut has officially qualified from flight school, making her a pioneer in space exploration for the country.
After a year of rigorous training with the European Space Agency (ESA), Rosemary Coogan from Belfast graduated alongside five others to become Northern Ireland’s very first qualified astronaut.
An exciting time in Northern Ireland’s journey to space, Coogan will enjoy a bright future as a pioneer in the country’s expanding space exploration sector.
Officially eligible for space flight – almost time for take-off
An incredibly talented astrophysicist whose research considers galaxy evolution and space-based telescopes, Dr Rosemary Coogan has an exciting new accolade to add to her repertoire.
She received the certification at the ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, earlier this week alongside Sophie Adenot, Pablo Alvarez Fernandez, Raphael Liegeois, Marco Sieber, and Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg.
It’s exciting for both Rosemary and Northern Ireland as a whole to witness its first-ever astronaut qualifying from flight school. Belfast-born Dr Coogan is now officially eligible for space flight.
An incredibly talented astrophysicist – an impressive career
Before becoming Northern Ireland’s first-ever astronaut to qualify from flight school, Dr Coogan enjoyed an incredibly successful background in astrophysics.
Dr Coogan completed two master’s degrees at Durham University and an astronomy doctorate at the University of Sussex. She was then selected, out of 22,500 other applicants, to join the ESA’s astronaut training programme in 2022.
The training programme is rigorous and intense to ensure hopefuls are well-equipped for their first space flight. Basic astronaut training involves learning spacecraft systems, spacewalking, flight engineering, robotics, and life support systems.
Prospective astronauts must undergo intensive survival and medical training to ensure they’re well-prepared to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.
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An exciting time for Northern Ireland’s space exploration – taking to the skies
After training, she will become the third qualified UK astronaut, following in the footsteps of Helen Sharman and Tim Peake.
Northern Ireland is quickly becoming a global leader in the sector, boasting involvement in numerous high-profile projects. For example, they played a huge part in launching the James Webb Telescope, which will revolutionise space imagery.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Robert Hill, space adviser and cluster manager at NI Space, said, “Northern Ireland is quickly becoming a global leader in the sector and has been involved in a number of high-profile projects recently, including the James Webb Space Telescope.
“To have Rosemary representing Northern Ireland as our first-ever astronaut is the icing on top of the cake.”
He continued, “We hope that Rosemary’s appointment to the ESA will inspire more and more young people in Northern Ireland to consider a career in the industry, which provides endless opportunities.
“We’re really looking forward to following Rosemary’s journey and will be cheering her on during her first mission.”
