No Limits!
Katya Echazarreta’s dream of space travel came true. Now, she wants to help others achieve their dreams.
Blue Origin
Katya Echazarreta poses for a photo before traveling to the edge of space.
On June 4, 2022, Katya Echazarreta’s dream came true when she flew into space. Now, she wants to make sure other Mexican people get a chance to go to space too.
Echazarreta has always loved space. When she was a kid, she told her mom she’d go some day. Growing up, she held on to her dream. She became an electrical engineer and then worked at NASA for a while. When she heard that regular citizens could apply for a chance to go to space, she jumped at the chance.
It was a tough competition. More than 7,000 people from 100 countries sent in applications. But Echazarreta was chosen. She would become the first Mexican-born woman ever to go to space.
The space trip was short but amazing. Along with five other crew members, Echazarreta flew to the edge of space and stayed there for about 10 minutes. It was an experience she’ll never forget.
“The thing that remains with me…is that view of our planet from the outside,” she told CBS News. “It took me about three days to be able to fall asleep [after the trip] because every time I closed my eyes, I would see the planet and the clouds swirling around. I didn’t want to stop thinking about it.”
Blue Origin
Katya Echazarreta poses with the rest of the crew during a 10-minute trip to the edge of space. They could see Earth outside their window!
Echazarreta is now working to get Mexico to develop its space program so that more people can follow her footsteps to the stars. She’s also working to encourage young people around the world to dream of space, like she did.
Echazarreta likes to say, “The sky is NOT the limit.” She’s already proven that this is true!
