British doctor and Paralympian John McFaul, who had been selected by the European Space Agency to train and become the first disabled astronaut to travel in space, could live without any problems on the International Space Station (ISS), ESA announced.

“At this stage we have not identified any technical obstacle that would prohibit John McFaul’s long stay (six months) on the ISS, as a full crew member,” said Jerome Renex, the head of a study aimed at determining whether he is possible such a mission.

THE John McFallwhere is orthopedic surgeon and former Paralympic track and field athlete, had been selected in 2022 by ESA to train as an astronaut for this study, something that has never been done before by any other space agency. McFaul, who is an amputee of the right leg, could thus become the world’s first “Para-astronaut”.

The 43-year-old doctor trained in survival in extreme conditions and passed the tests that astronauts undergo before leaving for space missions.

“I proved that I am capable of meeting the demands” he summed up in the press conference he gave. “That doesn’t mean I’ve secured a seat on a flight, but we’ve proven that it’s technically possible for someone with the same disability as me to do it,” he added.

The astronaut tested whether he was capable of emergency evacuation of the spacecraft attached to the ISS. “I had to wear the prosthetic leg at the time of launch, through the space suit,” he explained. He also learned how to move and stabilize himself with the prosthetic leg in zero gravity “successfully,” he said.

The most critical point: it will be able to use the ISS exercise machines (treadmill, stationary bike), since it is necessary for astronauts to exercise to protect their bodies from the conditions of microgravity.

In its study, ESA only looked at the specific disability of the Paralympian, who lost his leg at the age of 19 in a car accident. “We are proceeding in stages. “We wanted to first see if (a mission) is feasible before we look at other types of disabilities,” said Jerome Renex.