Matthias Maurer

Matthias Maurer (born 18 March 1970) is a German European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and materials scientist. He was selected by ESA as an astronaut in 2015 and began training for his first spaceflight, the SpaceX Crew-3 mission, in 2021.

Early life and education

Maurer was born in Saint Wendel, Germany. He studied materials science and technology at Saarland University, where he received his diploma in 1999. He then went on to earn a doctorate in materials science in 2004.

Career

After completing his doctorate, Maurer worked as a materials scientist at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In 2008, he joined the European Astronaut Corps, based at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.

In 2015, Maurer was officially selected as an astronaut by the European Space Agency. He completed his astronaut basic training in November 2016.

In 2021, Maurer began training for his first spaceflight, the SpaceX Crew-3 mission. He is set to become the 13th German to fly into space.

Personal life

Maurer is fluent in German, English, French, and Mandarin. He enjoys sports such as running, swimming, biking, and mountaineering.

See also

• List of astronauts by year of selection
• European Space Agency
• SpaceX Crew-3