Astronaut CV Template

ESA's basic requirements in the 2021 to 2022 campaign were citizenship of a member or associate member state, a Master's degree or higher in natural sciences, medicine, engineering, mathematics or computer science (or qualification as an experimental test pilot), at least 3 years of relevant professional experience, fluency in English plus another language, and a valid Class 2 aviation medical certificate. Beyond the minimums, the applicants who advance have typically published research, worked in extreme environments, and demonstrated leadership under pressure.

ESA received more than 22,500 valid applications in its 2021 to 2022 selection campaign and selected 5 career astronauts and 11 reserve astronauts, plus one astronaut with a physical disability for a feasibility project, a career selection rate of about 0.02%. NASA's 2021 class drew more than 12,000 applications and selected 10 candidates. ESA's campaign ran about 20 months, from March 2021 to November 2022, and included medical and psychological screening, technical assessments, and panel interviews. Some astronauts were selected only after applying more than once.

No, but it helps. Astronaut classes at ESA and NASA draw on two backgrounds: pilots (military or civilian test pilots) and scientists, engineers and medical doctors. ESA's 2022 career class came mostly from the second group. That said, pilots remain well represented because the role demands rapid technical adaptation, comfort with risk, and performance under life-critical pressure: qualities test pilots have formally demonstrated.

An ISS Expedition Commander leads the crew of 6 to 7 astronauts for a 6-month mission, responsible for crew safety, operational decisions, and communication with mission control in Houston, Moscow, and other partner agencies. This requires working proficiency in Russian and English, hundreds of hours of simulation training, emergency procedure mastery, and demonstrated cross-cultural leadership under prolonged confinement. On a post-astronaut CV, it reads as one of the most demanding leadership roles available outside of active military command.

Lead with the mission stats: total days in space, EVA hours, ISS expeditions, since these are uniquely impressive and immediately establish credibility. Then map the transferable skills: mission command translates to extreme-pressure leadership; scientific operations map to hands-on R&D; international crew coordination covers cross-cultural stakeholder management. Former astronauts move into aerospace industry, university leadership, government science advisory roles, and executive positions in technology companies. The key is quantifying the mission record while explicitly connecting it to the competencies the target role requires.