Tim Peake will detail the “remarkable” journey that led him to becoming an astronaut in his new autobiography.
Major Peake, who became the first British citizen to complete a spacewalk on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016, will also give readers the chance to explore his experiences of what space is really like in Limitless: The Autobiography.
Announcing the news on Twitter, the Chichester-born astronaut described the memoir as “one man’s journey from West Sussex to space and back”.
Excited to share news of my upcoming #autobiography – one man's journey from West Sussex to space and back. Helicopters, spacewalks, rockets and the rest. 'Limitless' will be published 15th October.
Available to pre-order now from @Waterstones https://t.co/vRWf2ilVAF #limitless pic.twitter.com/v5dY4pia5D
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) March 11, 2020
In a statement, he added: “Limitless is a story of perseverance. Nineteen years old, finished with school and working full-time as a barman, I never dreamt that one day I would be looking down on Earth from space.
“It has been a truly remarkable journey – and it led to the most extreme of destinations.”
Major Peake, 47, was the first British European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut to visit the ISS, landing in a Soyuz rocket in December 2015 and returning to Earth six months later.
Limitless will chart his road to becoming an astronaut, from being a “shy boy” who had a passion for flight, to a young British Army officer, Apache helicopter pilot, flight instructor and test pilot who served across the world.
He will write about being selected from more than 8,000 candidates to join the ESA, and the six years of mentally, physically, psychologically and intellectually tough training he undertook to become an astronaut.
Publisher Century said that Major Peake will also take “readers closer than ever before to experience what life in space is really like: the sacrifice that astronauts make in being apart from their families, the sights, the smells, the fear, the exhilaration, and the deep and abiding wonder of the view from space”.
The book will be released in October through Century, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and he will accompany its publication with a five-date Penguin Live tour in York, Aberdeen, London, Kingston and Nottingham – where he will be in conversation about his life and career.
Century publishing director Ben Brusey said: “From start to finish, Limitless is an inspirational, thrilling read.
“It also reveals a personal side to Tim we’ve never seen before – his vulnerability and the real man behind the heroic headlines. I am certain Limitless will inspire readers up and down the country, and of all ages.
“It will be one of the autobiographies of the year, a classic for years to come.”