timothy nigel peake (born 7 april 1972) is a british astronaut and former army air corps officer. he is the first british astronaut for the european space agency (esa). he is a former crew member of the international space station (iss). he is also the second astronaut to bear the flag of the united kingdom. he is the seventh british-born astronaut in space. he served in the british army from 1992 to 2009. he was made a major in 2004.