Katya Echazarreta broke down in tears upon hearing the news: “My mom is going to go crazy!” She said after receiving a video call in which she learned that she would become the first Mexican woman to travel to space. She is a 26-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, who moved to the United States when she was seven years old and who spent five years separated from her family due to the migration process.
Blue Origin He stayed to live in the United States, a country where he studied electrical engineering at UCLA and later a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at Johns Hokpins University. Katya is also one of the hosts of the shows “Netflix IRL” and “Electric Kat” on YouTube where she conducts scientific validation of what we see on TV series.
Upon finishing her studies, the young woman spent four years working at NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and was involved in five different space missions.
Considering her a role model and representative of a minority in the STEM world (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the non-profit organization Space for Humanity (S4H) will sponsor her seat on a mission to space by Blue Origin , owned by by Jeff Bezos.
The Citizen Astronaut Program sends “leaders into space to help expand access for all of humanity”; Katya Echazarreta will become the organization’s first citizen ambassador.
In an interview with S4H, the young woman commented: “As a Mexican engineer who works in the space industry, I know firsthand how few we are. I have always believed that it is not enough to achieve your goals if you do not help others to grow with you. I began to work diligently to help not only students in the United States who have great aspirations like mine, but also students and women in Mexico who hear the same words that I heard too often, ‘it’s not for you’”.
Here you can see the moment when Katya received the news.
“YOU’RE GOING TO SPACE!” We’re thrilled to introduce our first Astronaut, Katya Echazarreta! We surprised her on a call with the news that she will be going to Space on Blue Origin’s NS-21 mission. Journey with Katya and #s4h as she experiences and shares the #overvieweffect . pic.twitter.com/upaWgIsSzu
– Space for Humanity (@SpaceHumanity) May 9, 2022
Katya also explained: “I am honored to represent not only Space for Humanity in this mission, but also all the girls and women who dream of achieving something bigger, those who maybe just need an extra push or an example from someone. that looks or sounds like them to encourage you to take the next step towards your dream.”
THE OTHER CREW OF THE MISSION
Five other astronauts will accompany Katya on the mission that will be named NS-21 . They are: Evan Dick (an engineer and aviator pilot who has already participated in other space missions), Hamish Harding (aviator pilot with various records in his history), Victor Correa Hesphana (Brazilian civil engineer), Jaison Robinson (entrepreneur and owner of various technology and sports start-ups) and Victor Vescovo (explorer, skier and diver).
The launch date for the NS-21 mission has not yet been confirmed.
