What you’ll learn:
- The story of how Katya Echazarreta went from McDonald’s to NASA.
- Key moments in her space career.
- Where to find Katya’s space YouTube channel.
In celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science (Feb. 11, 2025), I wanted to share a story of a person who I found particularly amazing and inspirational: Katya Echazarreta.
Katya Echazarreta’s life journey is ambitious. She secured her first job at 17, working at McDonald’s to support her family. Echazarreta realized her big dreams at 27 when she became the first Mexican woman to venture into space as part of a group transported by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. Echazarreta is from Guadalajara, Mexico, and serves as an engineer and science communicator.
“I've been dreaming about going to space my entire life. Even just the drive to get into the rocket was emotional for all of us,” said Echazarreta. “I tried picturing what it would be like, and I can assure you nobody can truly imagine it until they experience it. Even now, just thinking back makes my eyes teary. As soon as I looked down at our planet, I had a single tear running down my face. That tear made me realize how important it is to care for our planet and what we have here.”
The Journey to NASA
At seven years old, Echazarreta moved to the United States with her family. She became the primary breadwinner of her family. Sometimes, she worked up to four jobs simultaneously to support herself through college. She attended the San Diego City College for three years, serving as part of the Society of Women Engineers and a mentor for the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program. In 2019, she completed her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at UCLA.
She also joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she worked on five missions, including the Perseverance Rover mission and Europa Clipper mission. In September 2021, she began pursuing her master’s degree in electrical and computing engineering at John Hopkins University (full scholarship).
She is the second Mexican to go into space, following Rodolfo Neri Vela, a NASA scientist who took part in NASA’s Space Shuttle missions in 1985. "The step we took represents a spark of hope for more than 300 million people,” said Echazarreta. “Our greatest wish is that this experience encourages young people and children to dream and to dedicate themselves to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and to build a better future for all."
Space for Humanity chose Echazarreta as a citizen astronaut from over 7,000 applicants to launch into space via a Blue Origin mission in 2022. She experienced the “Overview Effect,” a change in perspective that affects astronauts after viewing the Earth from space.
In February 2023, Echazarreta founded the Fundacion Espacial Katya Echazarreta, a nonprofit that offers access to resources, space-educational programs, and mentorships for those residing in Latin America pursuing space industry careers. She also led the development of Mexico and Latin America’s first Air and Space training program focusing on programming, robotics, planetary science, psychology, nutrition, space medicine, spacesuit training, and an analog mission to Mars.
In April 2023, she convinced the Mexican Congress to pass a constitutional reform that regulates the space industry. Today, she participates in global science outreach and appears as a keynote speaker on STEM, space, and diversity.
Below is a video of Katya in space. Just one of many great videos (via her YouTube channel, KatVoltage).
