The BBC's Pallab Ghosh looks back at Tim Peake's career so far
Tim Peake says he is thrilled to have been given the opportunity to go to the International Space Station (ISS).
The UK astronaut told BBC News it was a "huge privilege" and the culmination of everything he had worked for during his aviation career.
A former major and helicopter pilot in the British Army Air Corps, Tim Peake will join Expedition 46 to the ISS, launching in November or December 2015.
His stay at the 415km-high outpost is expected to last just over five months.
Tasks once in orbit will include helping to maintain the 27,000km/h platform and carrying out science experiments in Esa's Columbus laboratory module, which is attached to the front of the 400-tonne complex.
It is understood there is a strong chance he will also get to perform a spacewalk.
"I am delighted to have been assigned to a long-duration mission to the International Space Station," he told me.
"On a personal level, this feels like the high point of an incredibly rewarding career in aviation.
"It is a huge privilege to be able to fly to space. I look forward to the challenges ahead and I shall be doing my utmost to maximise this opportunity for European science, industry and education to benefit from this mission."
Forty-one-year-old Peake hails from Chichester, and is so far the only Briton ever to be accepted into the European Astronaut Corps.
In some senses, he will become the "first official British astronaut", because all previous UK-born individuals who have gone into orbit have done so either through the US space agency (Nasa) as American citizens or on independent ventures organised with the assistance of the Russian space agency.
As an Esa, astronaut, "Major Tim" will be flying under the Union Flag on a UK-government-sponsored programme.
Major Tim's assignment is made as British space activity is experiencing a big renaissance.
The space industry in the UK is growing fast, employing tens of thousands of workers and contributing some ?9bn in value to the national economy.
The government has also raised substantially its subscription to Esa, and the agency has responded by opening its first technical base in the country.
Ecsat (European Centre for Space Applications and Telecoms) is sited on the Harwell science campus in Oxfordshire.
Traditionally, British governments have steadfastly refused to get involved in human spaceflight, and even the current administration puts only a minimal amount of money into the Esa programme.
Continue reading the main storyScience Minister David Willetts regards the ?16m to secure Tim Peake's ticket as money well spent.
While Nasa wraps its astronauts in the rhetoric of fabled explorers - lots of "celestial destiny" and "bold endeavour" - the British take is far more mundane: the press release announcing Tim Peake's mission is mainly about British industry and jobs.
So when he dons his spacesuit, and checks the Union Flag's in place, there'll be a lot riding on his multi-layered shoulders.
But the British Interplanetary Society's Nick Spall, who has long campaigned for greater UK engagement, says the benefits of human spaceflight are now being recognised in Whitehall.
"With exciting mission opportunities coming up for flights across the inner Solar System to asteroids, the Moon, Mars and beyond for the future, many young people will be inspired by Tim and his achievement , taking up STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects at schools and universities. This will really help boost the UK's technical employment potential for jobs and industry. Human spaceflight is a 'win-win' initiative for the UK," he said.
There is sure to be huge interest in Major Tim's adventure.
The recently returned ISS commander, Canadian Chris Hadfield, attracted a big following for his tweets, videos and songs from the platform. His rendition of David Bowie's A Space Oddity has become a YouTube hit.
It would be hoped that Major Tim could achieve something of the same impact.
"I do strum the guitar badly," he admits, but as for singing, he says he is not in the same class as Cmdr Hadfield. "Under Pressure", a duet with Freddie Mercury and Queen, is Major Tim's favourite Bowie number. "Quite apt, I suppose!"
Helen Sharman was the first Briton to go into space in 1991 on Project Juno, a cooperative project between a number of UK companies and the Soviet government. She spent a week at the Mir space station.
The most experienced British-born astronaut is Nasa's Michael Foale. He has accumulated 374 days in orbit, completing long-duration missions to both the ISS and Mir.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22579023#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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