British Paralympic sprinter John McFall is chosen as the first disabled astronaut by the European Space Agency
McFall will join the space training corp to work with designers and engineers to see if he can be the first disabled person to go into space
He says hopes to inspire others and show that "science is for everyone... and potentially space is for everyone"
The European Space Agency has been revealing its "class of 2022", including five full-time astronauts alongside McFall
British astrophysicist Rosemary Coogan is among them
More than 22,000 people applied to join the ESA programme - two-and-a-half times the interest level when it last ran a competitive process in 2008
"We have almost 50 per cent ladies," Josef Aschbacher says, adding the representation of the different countries across Europe is also well represented in the final selection of the new cohort.
In the last recruitment drive, only one of the new recruits was a woman - Samantha Cristoforetti.
We'll tell you more about what we know of each of the new astronauts shortly.
Rebecca Morelle
Science editor in Paris
Well, that really was a big reveal - the curtain lifted to reveal Esa's astronaut class of 2022.
Esa's director general is speaking now. "They are all unique," Josef Aschbacher says about the incoming cohort of astronauts.
Aschbacher says they look for all the intellectual capability they have, that they can make quick decisions, make sure they can push the right buttons.
He says there were several tests and evaluations, and one of the last hurdles were the medical tests and speaking to himself as the director general.
Josef Aschbacher says it was a lot of fun to interview them.
Get ready for the class of 22 announcement.
A reminder you can watch it live at the top of this page.
While we're waiting for that astronaut announcement, the European Space Agency has said it'll receive €16.9bn (£14.6bn, $17.5bn) from its 22 member-nations, according to Esa Director General Josef Aschbacher.
The Esa had asked for €18.5bn to fund rocket launches, satellites and Europe's participation in planetary research for 2023-25 - up from €14.5bn in the previous period.
"With inflation being so high, I have to say that I'm very impressed by this figure," Aschbacher said.
Rebecca Morelle
Science editor in Paris
The European Space Agency will announce up to six new astronauts who will join its corps shortly, so they’ll become full time Esa employees.
But there will also be many more reserve astronauts - these recruits won’t give up their day jobs, but could be called up for a mission. And there will be a para-astronaut too.
Stay with us to meet the new recruits.
Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent in Paris
It's entirely possible that one of the individuals being introduced to us today will be the first European to walk on the Moon.
Esa is a key partner in Nasa's Artemis project to take humans back to the lunar surface.
Europe is providing critical hardware for this endeavour, for the Americans' Orion crew capsule and for the "Gateway" space station that is to be built in lunar orbit.
Already Nasa has guaranteed Europe three flights to this new station. It's only a question of time before the offer extends to a lunar surface mission.
When might this happen? Well, be patient - perhaps in the early 2030s.
The European Space Agency will be recruiting up to six new astronauts to join their team, for the first time since its last recruitment drive in 2008. But why are they looking for new spacemen and women?
The space agency is looking to grow its team, ensuring human and robotic spaceflight contributes to a “circular economy” - a more sustainable approach to looking at global issues, which aims to reduce waste.
Esa says space is meant to be for everyone, and it is looking for disabled astronauts - dubbed by the space agency as para-astronauts - as well as career astronauts and reserve astronauts to join their team.
Its main goal is to enable “the peaceful exploration and use of space for the benefit of everyone”.
In this recruitment drive, Esa also hopes to establish an astronaut reserve for the first time.
A reminder - you can watch the announcement live at the top of this page.
Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News
Current Esa astronauts - Luca Parmitano and Thomas Pesquet - share a joke.
Who will be their new colleagues? Luca did a lot of the recruitment himself.
He knows what it takes. The Italian said he was “humbled” by the quality of the applicants.
Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent in Paris
The media crowd here at the Grand Palais Éphémère is immense. Normally, these ministerial meetings which set the budget for the European Space Agency attract a few dedicated space-focused journalists.
Not today. Most reporters are waiting to hear one thing only. And that's got nothing to do with spreadsheets. They're here to find out who in Europe has been determined to have the "right stuff". Who will be Europe's next astronauts?
The room goes quiet every so often as we expect proceedings to start, but then nothing happens and the hubbub rises.
The question I have is will they start with those spreadsheet details on the budget or move straight into the main buisness.
Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent in Paris
Image source, Getty ImagesPeople will know Tim Peake, obviously; but the UK has had quite a few astronauts now down the years.
Not all have flown with the Union flag on their spacesuit, admittedly. A few have flown as US citizens.
Indeed, for a long time that was really the only way a Briton could get into space. Individuals like Michael Foale, Nicholas Patrick and the late Piers Sellers knew that if they wanted to pursue their dream, they'd have to do so under the Stars and Stripes.
There've been some Brits who've gone to space in private programmes - Helen Sharman, Richard Garriott and Mark Shuttleworth - but it was Tim who really broke the mould because he was the first to go with UK government money behind him.
He's cut a path others can now follow.
We're getting ready to find out who Esa's new astronauts will be.
Stay with us for full coverage. An announcement is due sometime after 13.45 GMT.
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Image source, EsaEurope's first female commander of the ISS, Esa astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti
In its "Astronaut's Handbook," the European Space Agency outlines what it takes to be one of their astronauts.
It warns applicants that successful candidates will need to face "situations of high stress and pressure" and that they will be away from their families and normal social life for extended periods.
The training itself is a long, highly specialised process. Basic training alone lasts one year and includes engineering and science disciplines, training for a private pilot’s licence, spaceflight training, survival techniques and lessons in space systems and orbital mechanics.
Astronauts also have to learn Russian: this is because since Nasa ended its Space Shuttle programme in 2011, travelling on Russian Soyuz spacecraft is one of the the only ways to reach the International Space Station (ISS) - and all of its controls are in Russian.
The largest number of applications, external came from France - 7,087. That's perhaps not surprising given that French national Thomas Pesquet was aboard the International Space Station when the process was being carried out.
The next largest group of applications came from Germany (3,695) and the UK (2,000).
Estonia attracted the fewest applicants - with just 57 people (22 women and 35 men) showing an interest.
A total of 1361 people (530 were women and 831 men) made it through to phase two of the selection process, which consisted of a full day of psychological performance testing.
Rebecca Morelle
Science editor in Paris
The stage is set for today’s astronaut announcement at the Grand Palais Éphémère here in Paris.
And there’s a real sense of anticipation. It's 13 years since the European Space Agency revealed its last batch of astronauts - with Brit Tim Peake among the six people who'd been selected.
The "Class of 2022" will be much larger, featuring "career astronauts", who will become full-time employees of Esa; "reserve astronauts", who won’t give up their day jobs but could be called up for future missions; and the first ever "para-astronaut" candidate - an astronaut with a disability.
These positions were highly sought after. More than 22,000 people applied, external, undergoing a rigorous selection process.
This involved meeting a list of strict criteria, from educational qualifications to language skills. And during a selection day, they also had to demonstrate they had certain characteristics like an ability to stay calm under pressure.
It's been a tough road to get here, but now the even tougher job of learning to be an astronaut begins.
Image source, ReutersJosef Aschbacher became the Esa's Director General in March 2021
It was created in 1975. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability, and to ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
It has 22 member states - Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Canada also sits on the Council and takes part in some projects under a Cooperation Agreement.
Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania are Associate Members.
Four other EU states have Cooperation Agreements with Esa: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta.
Image source, EsaGood afternoon and thanks for joining us.
The European Space Agency is getting ready to announce up to six new spacemen and women who’ve been picked from a field of more than 22,000 people who applied to join its astro corps.
The selections are due to be announced in Paris this afternoon at the conclusion of the two-day ministerial meeting to agree a new budget for Esa.
Stay with us as we bring you all the latest developments.