The European Space Agency is advertising for astronauts for the first time in 11 years and particularly wants women to apply for the out-of-this-world jobs.
The organisation, which is dedicated to space exploration, said it wanted to “expand gender diversity in our ranks”.
The United Kingdom remains a member of the non-EU European Space Agency (ESA), despite Brexit and British applicants hoping to escape lockdown by blasting off are welcome.
“Europe is taking its place at the heart of space exploration. To go farther than we ever have before, we need to look wider than we ever have before,” said Director General Jan Wörner.
“Diversity at ESA should not only address the origin, age, background or gender of our astronauts, but also perhaps physical disabilities,” said David Parker, the Director of Human and Robotic Exploration.
He said the agency was investigating how more people with disabilities could get involved in space.
There will be a six stage selection process for the hopefuls, which should be finished by October 2022. Part of the process is expected to take place at the ESA astronaut centre in Cologne, Germany.
Applications are open from March 31 to May 28 and must be made through the ESA career website.
The vacancy notice has not yet been finalised and the ESA was tight-lipped on their demands for the new spacemen and women, who will work with existing astronauts.
There will be no age limit on applications but sources said the job would come with a natural age limit of about 50. There will be minimum required levels of education and psychological assessments.
Tim Peake, the British ESA astronaut who spent six months living on the International Space Station, will help launch the recruitment campaign.
Founded in 1975, the ESA counts non-EU Norway and Switzerland among its 22 members, which also include many EU countries such as Germany and Spain.