First German Woman Returns from Space Mission

Rabea Rogge, a 29-year-old robotics researcher from Berlin, has made history as the first German woman in space, successfully returning to Earth after a four-day mission aboard a SpaceX 'Dragon' capsule. The capsule landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, as shown in live broadcasts from SpaceX, founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The landing was marked by clear skies and the deployment of parachutes to slow the descent.

Upon landing, Rogge was the first to exit the capsule, where she was greeted with smiles and waves, signaling a successful return to gravity after experiencing weightlessness. While space travelers typically receive assistance when disembarking due to the effects of microgravity, this mission aimed to test the feasibility of independent exits, which could be crucial for future missions to the Moon or Mars.

This mission, known as 'Fram2,' was significant as it was the first time a manned 'Dragon' capsule landed in the Pacific Ocean, having previously always returned to the waters off Florida's east coast. The reusable Dragon capsule had already completed three previous missions.

During the 'Fram2' mission, the crew orbited the Earth approximately 55 times, flying over polar regions every 45 minutes. Among the scientific objectives, the crew conducted various experiments, including the first X-ray imaging in space and studies on the growth of edible mushrooms in microgravity. A plush polar bear named 'Tyler' was included aboard as a traditional indicator of weightlessness.

The mission was funded by Chun Wang, a Maltese billionaire of Chinese origin who made his fortune in cryptocurrency. Rogge had met Wang during an expedition training in Svalbard, Norway, where he subsequently invited her to join the mission. The crew also included Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen and Australian polar guide Eric Philips. Throughout the journey, they shared images, videos, and updates on social media.

This marks the third spaceflight mission organized by SpaceX that featured a crew without trained astronauts, following 'Inspiration4' in 2021 and 'Polaris Dawn' in 2024. Notably, while twelve German men have traveled to space before, Rogge is the first woman from Germany to achieve this milestone.

During this mission, there were five women in space simultaneously: Rogge and Mikkelsen on the 'Fram2' mission, alongside US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers at the International Space Station (ISS), and Chinese astronaut Wang Haoze aboard the 'Tiangong' space station.

Rogge's official role in the 'Fram2' mission was as a scientific specialist, responsible for coordinating research activities. She holds a degree in electrical engineering and information technology from ETH Zurich and pursued her doctoral studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Among the personal items she took along was a commemorative medal honoring aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal and a small replica of the Liberty Bell, symbolizing her roots in Berlin's Schöneberg district, where she was born.