Updates on ESA’s Fly! Feasibility Study will be shared during the briefing.
Announced in November 2022 during the Ministerial Council held in Paris, this unique and groundbreaking study is aimed at understanding and challenging the limitations posed by physical disabilities to human spaceflight.
Fly! is underpinned by the desire to ensure that space exploration is not limited by physical constraints and that every individual can contribute to our collective understanding of the cosmos and of the benefits of spaceflight for life on Earth.
Former paralympic athlete and orthopaedic surgeon John McFall (UK), who suffered a lower limb amputation at age 19, was selected to join ESA’s Astronaut Reserve. He is also a Subject Matter Expert in the Fly! Feasibility Study.
Since June 2023, John has been participating in key familiarisation classes and activities at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC), aimed at exploring the specific challenges that his disability might pose for spaceflight.
The Fly! Study will conclude in Autumn 2024.
Programme
Friday 19 July, 14:00 - 15:00 CEST: online media briefing in EnglishParticipants:
Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration
John McFall, Member of the ESA Astronaut Reserve
Jerome Reineix, Fly! Feasibility Study Manager
Media registration
Media representatives are invited to register their attendance by Thursday, 18 July 2024, 18:00 CEST via https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form/ . Registered media will receive the TEAMS link for the briefing on Friday, 19 July via email.One-to-one interviews should be requested via media@esa.int
