Michaela "Michi" Benthaus is a German aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA), where she focuses on scientific collaboration to advance interplanetary exploration.[1][2] Born in Munich, she earned a bachelor's degree in mechatronics and pursued a master's in aerospace engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), specializing in space and astrophysics.[4][5] A lifelong space enthusiast inspired by Star Wars as a child, Benthaus dreamed of becoming an astronaut.[5] In September 2018, a mountain biking accident left her paraplegic with a spinal cord injury, yet she persisted in her passions, adapting to wheelchair tennis, karting, and space pursuits.[1][4] Post-accident, she interned at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on satellite flight dynamics and launched a blog to share her journey.[4][5] Her advocacy for disability inclusion in space gained traction through the AstroAccess initiative. In December 2021 (noted as recent in prior contexts), she participated in parabolic "Zero-G" flights in the USA, conducting weightlessness experiments as the only German among international participants, sponsored by OHB SE and TUM supporters.[4][5] She later completed a 2022 Zero-G research flight and an analog astronaut mission simulating space conditions.[1] Benthaus made history as the first wheelchair user to reach space on Blue Origin's NS-37 suborbital mission aboard the New Shepard rocket, crossing the Kármán line (100 km altitude).[1][2][3] Announced December 3, 2025, this 16th crewed flight for Blue Origin—the company's seventh of 2025—carried her with five others, highlighting accessibility in commercial spaceflight.[2] At around 33 years old, she expressed excitement about demonstrating wheelchair users' potential in space, continuing her work and advocacy.[1][3]