OXFORD West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood is used to grilling witnesses for inquiries – but she made a “historic first” when she questioned Major Tim Peake in space.

British astronaut Major Peake gave evidence to the Science and Technology Parliamentary Committee from the International Space Station as part of an event called ‘Voice of the Future’.

Miss Blackwood, who chairs the committee, asked him what the impact of his mission would be on the UK’s space sector.

She told an audience: “Never before has there been any message from space addressed to Parliament.

“It arrived on Earth late last week and I would like to thank the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency and NASA, who have all been involved. As far as we know, Tim is also the first committee witness ever to give evidence in a zero-gravity environment.

“It is a great honour for us to be hosting this meeting, which is really a little bit of parliamentary history.”

Responding in a pre-recorded message, in orbit around the Earth, Major Peake said: “I believe that in the not-too-distant future human space flight will become as routine as commercial aviation is today.

“The UK is well-placed to play a major role in developing the capabilities that are needed to achieve this.

“I hope my mission will help to show people that it is not just me who depends on space technology to live and work, but all of us.”

Major Peake’s response will be used in the committee’s ongoing inquiry into the space sector.

Miss Blackwood added afterwards: “We are world leaders in space discovery and growth in the space industries is outstripping the rest of the economy by a factor of four, so it is encouraging to hear such a positive message from Major Peake.”