German astronauts and their missions
In August 1978, Sigmund Jähn became the first German to go to space. Since then, 12 more German astronauts have set off on missions to test new technologies under space conditions. They have gained knowledge in both fundamental and applied fields of research – such as life and materials sciences, physics, biology, medicine and Earth observation – that has helped to improve life on Earth. They were also involved in the expansion of the International Space Stations ISS, assembling modules such as the European Columbus space laboratory during demanding extravehicular activities.
On the International Space Station ISS, the German astronauts were responsible, among other things, for docking space cargo vehicles to ensure the supply of the ISS crew. In control centres on Earth, they played an important role as payload specialists for communications between ground and space.
With their breathtaking images from the ISS 'Cupola' observation dome, they showed the beauty and vulnerability of our home planet in a striking way and inspired young people to engage with space exploration – and the associated natural sciences and technology more broadly through numerous activities and hands-on experiments. The following pages give an overview of the German astronauts and their missions.
"It is only when I take off my helmet that I notice something is different: the helmet is floating, just where I let go of it. We have reached our Earth orbit," wrote astronaut Gerhard Thiele in his on-board diary when he flew into space in February 2000 as part of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Astronaut Thomas Reiter was equally awestruck after his successful 'extra-vehicular activity', or spacewalk: "When you have been working inside a space station for a long time, you are naturally thrilled to be able to go outside. I couldn't be any closer to space. You’re working on the outer structure of the station, travelling at 28,000 kilometres per hour, and have a view that you would never get through a window. It's an overwhelming experience, an almost indescribable feeling," he said.
To date, 13 Germans have experienced microgravity during their journeys to space. For some it was just one flight, while others flew several times. Alexander Gerst can look back on the longest stay in space with two long-duration missions, while Ulf Merbold was in orbit the most often with three missions in 11 years. Not everyone who was accepted into the European Astronaut Corps actually flew to space – Eberhard Köllner, Renate Brümmer and Heike Walpot remained on the ground as reserve astronauts. Nicola Winter and Amelie Schoenenwald, selected as reserves for the Corps in 2022, are still awaiting a flight assignment.
Alexander Gerst launched on his first six-month mission aboard the International Space Station ISS on 28 May 2014, and again on 6 June 2018.
"Reaching and crossing new horizons is what drives us. The ISS gives us the opportunity to leave our 'spaceship Earth' for the first time. The Space Station is not just a one-of-a-kind laboratory, but also the first vessel that shows how we can live together in a multicultural community beyond our planet Earth. For me, 'Horizons' is also the perfect continuation of my 'Blue Dot' mission, for which the focus was on our blue planet. With horizons, I am looking forward to broadening that perspective even further," said Gerst.
In November 2021, Matthias Maurer became the next German astronaut to set off for the ISS. Maurer spent six months on the Space Station during his 'Cosmic Kiss' mission, conducting numerous experiments.
The first German woman in space was Rabea Rogge. Unlike previous German astronaut missions, hers was privately funded and commercial – reflecting today's evolving space landscape, in which commercialisation has opened up access to space for private individuals and initiatives.
German astronauts and their missions in reverse chronological order
Astronaut | Mission | Launch | Landing | Mission goals/achievements |
|---|
Rabea Rogge | Fram-2 | 1 April 2025 | 4 April 2025 | First German woman in space. First privately funded, commercial mission with a German crew member. Four-day Crew Dragon flight in polar Earth orbit. |
Matthias Maurer | Cosmic Kiss | 11 November 2021 | 6 May 2022 | First flight of a German astronaut to the ISS aboard a Dragon space capsule from NASA's Commercial Crew Program. |
Alexander Gerst | horizons | 6 June 2018 | 20 December 2018 | Finding solutions to the global challenges of 'health, the environment and climate change' as well as 'digitalisation, Industry 4.0, energy and the mobility of tomorrow' (from 3 October, he also became the first German commander of the ISS). |
Alexander Gerst | Blue Dot | 28 May 2014 | 10 November 2014 | Gerst conducted experiments in the fields of materials physics, human physiology, radiation biology and astrophysics, and was responsible for docking the European space freighter ATV-5. He also conducted an extravehicular activity (spacewalk).
|
Hans Schlegel | STS-122 | 7 February 2008 | 20 February 2008 | Installed the Columbus module on the International Space Station ISS. |
Thomas Reiter | Astrolab (STS-121/-116) | 4 July 2006 | 22 December 2006 | This mission laid the foundations for the future use of the Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station ISS. |
Gerhard Thiele | SRTM/STS-99 | 11 February 2000 | 22 February 2000 | The mission aimed to collect data for the first three-dimensional digital map of Earth's entire surface, known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM).
|
Reinhold Ewald | Mir 97 (Soyuz TM-25/-24) | 10 February 1997 | 2 March 1997 | This mission's aim was to build on the science programme of earlier Mir missions. |
Thomas Reiter | Soyuz TM-22 | 3 September 1995 | 29 February 1996 | This mission was the second ESA mission to the Mir space station as part of a series of preparatory flights for the European Columbus space laboratory. |
Ulf Merbold | Euromir 94 (Soyuz TM-20/-19) | 3 October 1994 | 4 November 1994 | The first ESA mission to the Russian Mir space station Mir, preparing for the era of the European Columbus space laboratory. |
Ulrich Walter/Hans Schlegel | D2 (STS-55) | 26 April 1993 | 6 May 1993 | The Space Shuttle Columbia carried the second multi-use German space laboratory (Spacelab) into orbit. On this multidisciplinary mission, the crew conducted almost 90 experiments in the fields of materials and life sciences as well as technology, automation, robotics, and Earth and space observation. |
Ulf Merbold | STS-42 | 22 January 1992 | 30 January 1992 | With the help of the Spacelab International Microgravity Lab (IML-1), the astronauts explored the complex effects of microgravity on living organisms and other materials. |
Klaus-Dietrich Flade | Mir 92 (Soyuz TM-14/-24) | 17 March 1992 | 25 March 1992 | On the mission, the cosmonauts conducted biological, medical and materials science experiments. |
Reinhard Furrer/Ernst Messerschmid | D1 (STS-61A) | 30 October 1985 | 6 November 1985 | In just seven days, the astronauts conducted 76 experiments. Among other things, Furrer and Messerschmidt investigated the effects of microgravity on the processing of materials and on the human body. |
Ulf Merbold | STS-9 | 28 November 1983 | 8 December 1983 | An important part of this mission was to commission the Spacelab space laboratory built by the European Space Agency (ESA). |
Sigmund Jähn | Soyuz 31/-29 | 26 August 1978 | 3 September 1978 | Among other things, the cosmonauts conducted experiments for remote sensing of the Earth with the MKF 6 multispectral camera, as well as materials science and medical experiments. |
