About 1,360 aspiring astronauts, out of the more than 22,500 applications received, have entered the second phase of the European Space Agency (ESA) future astronaut selection process, as announced today.

Four to six candidates will cross the finish line alone in late 2022, after a lengthy selection process, from which a new generation of ESA astronauts from 22 member states will emerge.

After a first selection, 1,361 candidates (831 men and 530 women) are continuing and will participate in a second phase: a day of “psychological performance tests at a facility in Europe”, the service explains in a press release.

The first selection includes “at least three candidates from each Member State”, the ESA added. France, the country that had submitted the most applications at the beginning of the competition, leads by a large margin, with 404 candidates (250 men and 154 women). They are followed by Germany (194 candidates), Britain (166) and Italy (159).

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Greece has 24 candidates (22 men and 2 women). Initially, 281 people from Greece had applied.

In all, a record number of 22,523 applicants had applied at the end of the recruitment campaign in June 2021. That is three times as many as 11 years ago.

ESA wants to hire a more diverse generation, with more women. A plan for a future mission with a physically disabled astronaut has also been launched: 27 candidates for this position have been invited to the second phase.