The astronaut Matthias Maurer is the next German to travel to the International Space Station ISS. "That's certainly true," said Jan Wörner, Director General of the European Space Agency Esa. "What we do not know is when exactly he flies." At first the "Rheinpfalz" had reported about it.
For the 49-year-old bricklayer it would be the first mission.
Currently, the ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano from Italy is on the ISS. Before Maurer is still planned a flight of the Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, it said. According to information from the "Rheinpfalz", the Maurer mission could possibly start in 2021. According to Wörner, however, a coordination process with other space organizations such as NASA is initially necessary. (Why Maurer could be the first German on the moon, read here.)
Maurer is a member of the Esa Astronaut Corps. Unlike his colleagues, he has not yet flown into space. The Saarlander has a PhD in materials science, works at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne and speaks English, Spanish, French, Catalan, Russian and Chinese.
In 2008 he had passed all tests in the astronaut selection. In 2017, he moved into the Esa Corps of astronauts and completed his basic training as an astronaut last year.
With the decision for Maurer it is clear that Alexander Gerst will not initially start again for the ISS. He had promised all astronauts two flights there and Gerst had already flown twice, said Wörner. The 43-year-old "Astro-Alex" has been the longest in space since returning home from the Space Station in December 2018: in 2014 he spent 166 days in space, and in 2018 added 197 more.
