Electrical Engineer Katya Echazarreta Becomes First Mexican-Born Woman To Travel To Space

On June 4, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin aerospace company completed its fifth human-crewed spaceflight. Of the six people making up the astronaut crew, one was a woman making history: Katya Echazarreta, an electrical engineer born in Guadalajara, Mexico, became the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space.

Echazarreta, 26, worked as a flight engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her experience includes five NASA missions, including the Perseverance rover and Europa Clipper missions. Echazerreta received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UCLA and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

On another post that went out the day of launch, @blueorigin tweeted that Echazarreta’s mission is to “provide representation for women and minorities in #STEM fields.”

The nonprofit Space for Humanity sponsored Echazarreta’s flight. She was selected from more than 7,000 applicants in more than 100 countries.

“I daydreamed about the possibility, but when it comes to something like this, you don’t really expect to be the one,” she said in an Instagram post shared by @spacehumanity.

After the flight was over, the organization shared the text of a note Echazarreta wrote to thank them for their sponsorship, which read in part, “The planet we all live on is so beautiful. Every time I close my eyes … I can see it. It’s etched into my memory … I want to thank every single one of you who made this happen. I promise I will make the most of it not only for me but for you. ”

Echazarreta is also a TV host and has been documenting her experience a bit on social media. She is passionate about her community and women.


https://www.wral.com/electrical-engi...pace/20329715/