'Astronauts aren't just men - we're astronauts too'

A seven-year-old aspiring astronaut has spent lockdown building and "launching" a homemade rocket into the sky from her Leicester home.

Elizabeth treated fans on her social media accounts to a "static fire" of her cardboard rocket from her parents' living room before rolling the rocket out to a launch pad in the garden.

Elizabeth shares her favourite experiments on her YouTube channel, which has hundreds of subscribers.

Her online fame has also led to opportunities with American-based payload company, Astrobotic, which has offered to take her YouTube sticker to the Moon on board their Peregrine lunar lander later this year.

Elizabeth's mother, Jennifer, who is originally from Connecticut, said the US space agency's plans to send a woman to the Moon were "huge for humanity".

"I'm excited to be the mother of a daughter at this time. One who's so excited about space," she said.

A spokesperson from Astrobotic said: "Younger generations need role models that look like them. Elizabeth's enthusiasm for space is fantastic and we're proud to be sending her sticker to the Moon."

Video journalist: Chris Waring

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