Crew Member Hannah Zipfinger Is An Astronaut For A Day

Last autumn, Crew Member Hannah Zipfinger was selected to participate in a parabolic flight as part of the “Astronaut for a Day” program, which is supported by the European Space Agency and organised by national space agencies, administrations, ministries and organisations.

The path to the flight was not easy: The multi-stage selection process lasted several months and was based on ESA’s selection procedure for professional astronauts. After submitting an application video, completing logic and comprehension tests, physical fitness and motor skills assessments, a personal interview and a medical examination, fourteen out of initially around 800 applicants from Austria were selected to become “Astronauts for a Day” and Hannah was one of them.

In October 2025, the Austrian “Astronauts for a Day” travelled to Luxembourg, where they met the selected students from the other two participating countries, Luxembourg and Estonia. After one day of preparation, including team-building activities, public speaking and media training, keynotes by French ESA Astronaut Jean-François Clervoy and Austrian ESA Reserve Astronaut Carmen Possnig, and a briefing for the upcoming parabolic flight, they were ready for the unforgettable experience of a zero-g flight.

“The parabolic flight has been an absolutely extraordinary experience that I will definitely never forget. The feeling of microgravity is indescribable, truly a unique, special feeling!”

Today, Hannah serves as “Astronaut for a Day Space Ambassador”, visiting schools across Vienna and Austria, organising events and giving talks to spark interest in space in as many young people as possible. Through her outreach, she aims/hopes to encourage and inspire the next generation of astronauts, space scientists and explorers to embark on their own journey into space.