ESA ANNOUNCES NEW CLASS OF ASTRONAUTS, Nov 23, 2022, Paris, FR, 9:20-11:00 am ET?

Update, November 24, 8:45 am ET:  The post-Ministerial Council briefing that precedes this was delayed again to 8:45 am ET, but it is that time now and it hasn’t started, so stay tuned. When they’re ready, that briefing and this one will be at this site.

Update, November 23, 7:30 am ET:  The ESA TV website says that the media briefing on results of the Ministerial Council meeting has been delayed for an hour, to 8:30 am ET (14:30 CET). This announcement of the new astronaut class is similarly delayed an hour to 9:20 am ET.

Original Entry: The European Space Agency will announce its new class of astronauts on November 23, 2022 at the Grand Palais Éphémère (GPE) in Paris, FR.  Doors open at 14:00 Central European Time (8:00 am Eastern Standard Time) and the program begins at 14:20 CET (8:20 am EST).

It will be webcast on ESA TV.

More information is on the event’s website, which says:

In 2021, ESA opened the vacancy notices for the roles of astronaut and astronaut with a physical disability. This was the first call for new astronaut applicants since 2008.

In response, ESA received more than 22 500 valid applications for the role of astronaut from across Member States and Associate Members. For the role of astronaut with a physical disability, 257 applications were received.

ESA aims to recruit four to six career astronauts who will join the ESA astronaut corps.

In addition to recruiting astronauts into the existing corps, ESA will for the first time also establish an astronaut reserve. This reserve will be composed of the candidates who were successful throughout the entire selection process and were not recruited. Astronauts in the reserve will remain employed by their current employers. ESA had also published a dedicated vacancy notice to select individuals with physical disabilities for the astronaut reserve.