A new portrait of astronaut Tim Peake has been unveiled.
The oil painting, by renowned artist George Groves, has been signed and dated by Tim and will now go on sale to raise funds for the charity The Prince’s Trust.
George said it was a “great pleasure” to unveil the portrait with Tim.
The artist added: “He has achieved incomprehensible feats and has also provided a platform for the future generation of aspiring individuals to thrive.”
The astronaut, from Chichester, rose to fame after he spent six months aboard the International Space Centre from December 2015.
He described his experience of being 250 miles above the earth’s surface as “truly mesmerising".
Since then, the father-of-two has gone on to write three books and in 2021 he was awarded an honorary fellowship from the Institution of Engineering and Technology for his “outstanding contribution to space exploration".
Tim said a mission to the moon would be his “dream” and that could soon be a reality with NASA’s 2025 projected mission.
It would make Tim the first Briton to set foot on the moon.
Tim always knew he wanted to be in the air and was a pilot before his space expeditions.
Speaking of his upbringing, he said: “I get asked a lot ‘how did a little ginger kid from West Sussex end up in space?'."
The 50-year-old spaceman is an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, and he and George hope the portrait will raise a few thousand pounds for the charity.
Tim recently donated £250,000 to the trust, and in his role as ambassador he highlights the work it does to help young people acquire STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills particularly supporting girls wanting to get into the field.
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Tim is currently touring the UK with his one man show My Journey To Space, which comes to Chichester on November 19.
The oil painting was unveiled before one of his sold-out shows.
George said: “It is a great opportunity for avid space lovers to cross over into the artworld and take home a piece of history."
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