Image of an astronaut and three photos from her journey of the launch, in space, and landing

Blastoff!
Kat traveled to space with Blue Origin. It’s a private company that offers trips to space. She was chosen for the trip by Space for Humanity, an organization focused on space education.

Shutterstock.com (Background); Courtesy of Kat Echazarreta (Uniform); Courtesy of Blue Origin (All Other Images)

CCSS

R.1, R.3, R.4, L.2

Out of This World

How Kat Echazarreta helps launch missions to space

February 2024

by Alex Lim-Chua Wee

Courtesy of Kat Echazarreta

Young Kat learns about space at a museum.

Kat Echazarreta will never forget June 4, 2022. It was a sunny Saturday morning in Van Horn, Texas. You might have been snoozing your alarm or finishing breakfast. But Kat was strapped into a 60-foot-tall rocket.

At 9:25 a.m., that rocket rumbled for takeoff. In minutes, it was soaring into the sky. Soon Kat was hundreds of thousands of feet in the air. All she could see out the window was black.

Going to space was something Kat had dreamed about since she was 7. On that day in 2022, she made history. She became the first Mexican-born woman to do it.

Kat has also worked on other space missions as an electrical engineer at NASA. We asked her about her life and work.

You came here from Mexico in third grade. What was that like?

I didn’t speak any English, so it was really hard at first. I struggled to understand things in school and talk with my classmates. I immersed myself in English books, TV shows, and movies to help me learn the language as fast as I could.

How did you know you wanted to be an engineer?

As a kid, I wanted to know how all the electronics in the house worked. I used to ask my mom all kinds of questions until she ran out of answers!

What interested you about space?

Growing up, I was inspired by a scientist named Carl Sagan. He had a TV show about space called Cosmos. I started learning more about space missions and the robots they use on Mars. I knew I wanted to be part of that.

What was your job at NASA?

Every robot sent to space has to be tested many times. I helped build machines that test robots as if they are already in space. This allowed us to see how the robot would react in different situations.

What do you love most about your work?

I love supporting kids who are interested in space science. Last summer, I helped host the first space camp in Mexico. Teens at the camp learned about robotics, making rockets, and teamwork. I’m proud of what they accomplished and excited for what they’ll do someday. The sky is NOT the limit!