Armed with a PhD in astrophysics and experience as a Royal Navy reserve, Dr Coogan brings impressive credentials to her new role as Britain's second European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut.

The 33-year-old from Belfast, selected from more than 22,500 applicants, will deploy to the International Space Station before 2030.

"I certainly don't think space travel, or space generally, should be for the elites," she tells The Guardian. "I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would love to [visit] another planet."

While enthusiastic about space exploration, Coogan disputes Elon Musk's vision of Martian colonies within 20 years. "It's a personal opinion, but I don't envisage a future where we have permanent colonies," she continues. "I don't think we need to leave Earth behind and go elsewhere permanently."

Instead, she believes space exploration will enhance our understanding of Earth's place in the universe and help predict climate changes. "We have a fantastic, amazing, beautiful planet here," she says. "What we learn from the moon and from Mars we can bring back to this planet."

Having completed her training in April, ESA's second British recruit has already faced challenging experiences including cave isolation and winter survival training in the Spanish Pyrenees.

Despite recent ISS technical issues, including air leaks and spacesuit problems, Coogan remains unfazed.

"[ESA] select people to be particularly calm under pressure, to not panic in extraordinary situations," she tells The Guardian. "It's an amazing opportunity to go to the station, and it's not for us to choose exactly when or for exactly how long. We kind of embrace taking on the situation as it comes."

Her selection follows Tim Peake, Britain's first ESA astronaut, and Helen Sharman, who visited the Soviet Mir space station in 1991, marking increasing diversity in space exploration.