A life for space travel: Fascinated by the moon landing in 1969, the then four-year-old Claudia Kessler decides that she will fly into space one day! Today, Claudia is an entrepreneur and visionary.
She founded The Astronaut Ltd. in April 2017, thus ensuring the female future of astronautical space travel (previously in Germany only "manned"). Claudia Kessler has the goal clearly in mind: In 2021, the first German woman will be in space. This female astronaut will become a symbol to inspire young girls for technological professions. The privately organized and financed program is an (orbital) trailblazer for privatized space travel in Germany, just as Elon Musk is doing with SpaceX in the USA. As one of the few female founders in the high-tech industry, she has founded a space flight start-up that makes space experience accessible to everyone. The Astronaut Ltd. makes it possible to transfer space experiences into everyday life on earth. From space events, astronaut training, analog missions, parabolic flights, and suborbital flights to astronautical space missions, every space experience is offered by The Astronaut Ltd. The Astronaut Ltd. is the only space start-up in Europe with experience in the selection and training of astronauts. The visionary Claudia Kessler thus demonstrates a pioneering spirit in astronautical space travel that is rather found in the USA.
Claudia Kessler's goal is not only to bring the first German woman into space but also to strengthen women in order to position them at the top of the economy and society. In empowerment workshops with elements from astronaut training, personal live-coaching, and inspiring public speaking, she inspires the audience.
She is one of the few female executives in the space industry and is constantly working that there will be more. She also promotes the international career of female specialists and executives in the network "Women in Aerospace Europe" (WIA-E), which she founded throughout Europe in 2009. The network now has more than 500 members in 12 European countries. Also, she is one of the few women who are members of the Senate of the German Aerospace Society (DGLR) and the International Aeronautical Academy (IAA). In 2018 she was elected by EditionF, in cooperation with the Handelsblatt and Zeit, as one of the 25 women who are revolutionizing our economy.
Claudia Kessler is a graduate aerospace engineer, has an MBA, and more than 30 years of experience in international aerospace.