Germany’s first female astronaut poised to join SpaceX mission

Rabea Rogge, a robotics researcher, is set to become Germany’s first female astronaut after being chosen for the Fram2, a SpaceX polar exploration programme.

Rabea Rogge to become the first female German astronaut

The first German woman to fly into space is due to join SpaceX's polar exploration mission, nicknamed Fram2, on board the Falcon 9 rocket, with four other astronauts, the private space exploration company announced this week. Rabea Rogge is a robotics researcher from Berlin who studied at ETH Zurich and is pursuing her doctorate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She was chosen for a special job: to be the mission's specialist.

According to the German Aerospace Center (DLR), no German woman has ever reached space, and so this mission is extra special as it will make Rogge the first female German astronaut to fly into space. Rabea Rogge expressed her enthusiasm for joining the mission, writing on X, “I am incredibly honored to have been selected mission specialist for the first human space flight into polar orbit, Fram2!”

The mission will explore Earth’s polar regions

Fram2 is set to be the first crewed mission to fly over the Earth's poles. During the exploration, the team of astronauts will observe Earth’s polar regions and study purple lights called “Steve”, which resemble the Northern Lights, from an altitude of 425 to 450 kilometres. The mission’s objective is to also conduct experiments on the human body, including the first X-ray of a human in space.

Fram2 will be launched in late 2024. The historic flight, departing from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will be led by Chun Wang, a wealthy bitcoin pioneer and founder.

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