John Mcfall Deal Could Open 2027 Orbit Mission
john mcfall could become the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit after the UK Space Agency signed a deal with Vast. The memorandum of understanding could help back a two-week mission to Haven-1 after the station’s proposed 2027 launch.
McFall and Haven-1
McFall, 45, is a European Space Agency astronaut reserve member from Hampshire, and he was cleared for activities in orbit last year. Vast is building Haven-1 in California, and the station is designed to house up to four astronauts.
The station will include a maplewood veneer interior, a domed window for observing Earth and a laboratory for microgravity research. McFall could travel there with other astronauts in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket.
UK Space Agency deal
The agreement between the UK Space Agency and Vast includes support for the company to secure sponsorships to fund McFall’s flight. That gives the project a practical route beyond the technical clearance he has already received.
McFall said from Esa’s European astronaut centre in Germany, “It’s an exciting opportunity,” and added, “We’re saying it’s OK for people with disabilities to be astronauts,” before saying, “We’ve demonstrated that it’s possible, that we’re open-minded enough to give people the opportunities to do this and recognise that they are equally capable.”
McFall’s ESA role
The planned mission would study how the space environment affects McFall’s body and modern prosthetic limbs. In 2022, he was selected for Esa’s Fly! project, which is exploring whether astronauts with physical disabilities can take part in long-duration missions to the ISS.
McFall lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident at age 19, later won bronze in the 100m at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and qualified as an NHS orthopaedic surgeon. He said, “I want to be a good astronaut. I want to do my job well. That’s my priority. I don’t want it to be a PR stunt. I don’t want it to be a fad. I’m very happy to be a pioneer and do something new, but first and foremost, I want to do a good job and I want it to be of value, both for space exploration and for wider society back on Earth.”
If the flight goes ahead, McFall would become the first Briton in space since Tim Peake’s six months on the ISS during Esa’s Principia mission in 2015 to 2016. Another option for him is a private mission with Vast to the International Space Station next year.
