British astronaut Tim Peake set to land on stage at Xerocon London

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At Xero, we want to inspire accountants and bookkeepers to make a change – whether that’s adopting a new piece of tech or providing more value to their clients.

And this year is no exception – we’re delighted that one of our keynote speakers is the astronaut Major Tim Peake CMG.

Tim was the first British astronaut onboard the International Space Centre, so it’s safe to say he knows a fair bit about bucking trends and making a change.

This year’s Xerocon London will run from 13-14 November 2019 at ExCeL London.

Early life

Tim started his flying career by becoming an officer in the British Army Air Corps. He flew in missions across the world and later moved on to become an Apache helicopter instructor.

His career as an astronaut started in 2009 when he was accepted into the prestigious European Space Agency (ESA) programme.

He was put to the test once he was accepted, undergoing resilience training which involved spending a week underground in a cave and living for 12 days deep underwater as an aquanaut.

(This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. This offer is only available to individuals who receive the code from their Xero contact.)

On a mission

All of that training led him to the Principia mission, launching on 15 December 2015. Part of the mission involved replacing a failed voltage regulator for the International Space Station’s solar panels.

It meant working in total darkness (in order that the panels were not live, to avoid the risk of electrocution). And with that, Tim became the first British ESA astronaut to travel in space.

Peake returned to Earth on 18 June 2016, having spent 186 days in space and having completed approximately 3000 orbits of the Earth, covering a whopping 78 million miles.

He became the first official British spacewalker and the first British subject to be honoured by the Queen as a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George whilst in space.

Lasting legacy

Tim’s journey captured the imagination of the nation, and crucially, the next generation. The aim of the UK Space Agency’s education campaign was to inspire greater interest and understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as space. Following the Principia Mission, more than 2 million children in the UK engaged with education and outreach programmes.

We’re so excited to have Tim at this year’s Xerocon London – he’s a real inspiration. Join us to hear about his journey to space, what he learned along the way and how he’s using his influence to get more people thinking about a career in STEM. It’s going to be out of this world! (Sorry, we had to).

Don’t miss out on hearing Tim’s motivating talk and the other exciting speakers we have lined up for this year.

Xerocon London will take place on 13-14 November at ExCeL London. Get 20% off your Xerocon London 2019 ticket here! Just use promo code XC20 until 30 September 2019.

(This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.)

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