Tim Peake to return to space on a second European Space Agency mission
The Brit made the surprise announcement during a press conference at the Science Museum on Wednesday evening
BRITISH astronaut Tim Peake is to return to space on a second mission, according to reports.
He made the surprise announcement as the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft which launched Major Peake into orbit and returned him to Earth went on public display at London's Science Museum yesterday evening.
The London attraction tweeted: "Thrilling news that @astro_timpeake will return to space on a second @esa mission to the @Space_Station #Soyuz."
The first British astronaut spent half a year aboard the ISS as part of the Principia space mission which returned to Earth in June.
Despite wife Rebecca and sons Thomas, six, and Oliver, four, being "very supportive" of his possible return to space, Peake last year claimed it was time "to put the family first for a while".
He later revealed there was "messed up" parts of life aboard International Space Station but that he would "return in a heartbeat".
During his 186-day mission in space Maj Peake made the first spacewalk by a UK astronaut, remotely steered a robot on Earth and ran the London Marathon.
He completed about 3,000 orbits of Earth, covering a distance of about 125 million km.
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