ESA title
Astronaut

Matthias Maurer

Matthias Maurer was born in Sankt Wendel (Saarland), Germany, on 18 March 1970. He joined the ESA astronaut corps in July 2015 and returned from his first mission to the International Space Station, known as Cosmic Kiss, in May 2022.

Biography

Experience

Matthias participated in the selection process for ESA astronauts in 2008/2009 and passed all selection tests to make it through to the final 10. Though not an original member of the ESA class of 2009, he did join ESA in 2010 as a crew support engineer and eurocom for the Columbus flight control team.

In 2012 Matthias took a lead role in ESA Astronaut Centre projects to prepare for future spaceflight operations with new international partners and extend the Agency’s human exploration expertise beyond the International Space Station.

In September 2014 he was a member of the ESA CAVES expedition crew, contributing his eurocom skills and extensive research and development experience while assessing the programme’s suitability for participation by international partners and potential spin-offs for additional EAC projects.

Matthias formally joined the European astronaut corps in July 2015, and successfully graduated from both basic astronaut training and pre-assignment training in 2018.

In 2016 Matthias participated in the NASA NEEMO 21 analogue mission, spending a total of 16 days underwater as part of a crew testing exploration strategies and tools for future Mars missions.

In August 2017, he participated in sea survival training off the coast of China with fellow ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and seven Chinese Taikonauts. This was the first time foreign astronauts had been invited to participate in Chinese training.

Between 2017 and 2019 Matthias continued to participate in geological field trainings related to future moon exploration and, in March 2018, he gained certification to perform International Space Station-related spacewalks in the American spacesuit EMU.

In December 2020, Matthias was officially assigned to his first International Space Station mission known as 'Cosmic Kiss'. He is the second ESA astronaut to fly under NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme and was launched from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, as part of SpaceX Crew-3, alongside NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron on 11 November 2021. He returned from this mission on 6 May 2022 after 177 days in space.

Prior to his mission assignment, Matthias was based at ESA’s Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany where he was project managing the development of a new ESA Luna Moon simulation facility.

When he's not in orbit or training for his next spaceflight, Matthias' favourite activities include travelling, photography, reading, politics and learning foreign languages. He also enjoys sports, especially cycling and hiking.

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ESA missions

1

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer flew to the International Space Station in 2021 on a Crew Dragon spacecraft for his first space mission 'Cosmic Kiss'. He returned to Earth on 6 May 2022.

Total days in Space

177

Matthias Maurer

Watch Matthias Maurer return to Earth with Crew-3

After almost six months aboard the International Space Station, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is coming home. Watch all the action, from undocking to splashdown, live on ESA Web TV channel 2.

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Matthias Maurer

Cosmic Kiss takes the Nebra Sky Disc to space

The sky, its celestial bodies and the vastness of space beyond has fascinated humankind for thousands of years. It is therefore no coincidence that ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer took inspiration from the Nebra Sky Disc for his Cosmic Kiss mission patch.

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Matthias Maurer

First spacewalk for Matthias

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is scheduled to perform his first spacewalk next week, stepping outside the International Space Station on Wednesday 23 March alongside NASA’s Raja Chari. Watch all the action live on ESA Web TV. 

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Matthias Maurer

100 days of Cosmic Kiss science

Saturday 19 February marks 100 days since ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer was launched to the International Space Station for his first mission, Cosmic Kiss. He launched on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn as a member of Crew-3. But even before he was launched to space, he was subject to scrutiny for science.

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Matthias Maurer

#AskMatthias – Orbit Edition

A main goal of my Cosmic Kiss mission is to share with you lots of fascinating science about space and spaceflight, as well as the life and work of an astronaut - on the ground, as well as and on the ISS. I'm thankful for all the positive comments and questions I receive every day and I will do my best to answer them on this blog. Stay curious!

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Matthias Maurer

New Year’s science in space for a healthier life

Another year passes, and our muscles, bones, eyes and ears deteriorate as we age – even more so in space. Reactions in ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer’s body after barely two months on the International Space Station are giving European scientists clues on how to fight the downsides of growing old on Earth.

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Matthias Maurer

Matthias launches into first month of space science

Barely three weeks into space life, first-time flyer Matthias Maurer has operated a robotic arm, welcomed a docking module, slept in a brand-new bed and changed plans a few times due to space debris alerts. Even science has not been routine, as he ran a handful of experiments for the very first time in orbit.

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Matthias Maurer

Cosmic Kiss begins as Crew-3 arrive at the Space Station

The spacecraft carrying ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and his NASA astronaut colleagues Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron docked to the International Space Station at 00:32 CET Friday, 12 November (23:32 GMT Thursday, 11 November), marking the official start of Matthias's first mission ‘Cosmic Kiss’.

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