Webseite Blog bild1

Introducing our new Executive Board

ASTRA e.V. members elected the new executive board of inspired and driven people who will shape the future of this organisation. We are looking at an exciting year ahead which will include the beginning of our manufacturing and testing stage, the beginning of our fundraising and marketing campaign as well as a lot to be done to build meaningful cooperations for ASTRAs future.

Mika Bauerfeind is the new CEO of ASTRA. He is currently in his third semester of the Space Engineering Master Program at Uni Bremen and has been with us from our very beginning in early 2021. Mika has been an integral part of the Project Management Team throughout and filled the role of Deputy CEO in the previous tenure of our executive board.

Introducing our new Executive Board

Mika Bauerfeind – CEO of ASTRA e.V.

“I am working with ASTRA because it is a unique opportunity to gain practical experience you simply do not get in your studies. It also really motivates me to work in a team with all our dedicated and hard-working members to accomplish our target, reaching the Karman-Line.”

Our two Deputy CEOs are Jesaiah Coy and Taha Merchant.

Jesaiah Coy is a Space Engineering Student in his third semester at Uni Bremen. He Has been with ASTRA from the very beginning in early 2021 and has been our Chief Engineer and part of the Mission Management ever since. His vision of Project Karman and extensive knowledge make him an invaluable member of this organisation.

Jesaiah Coy – Deputy CEO of ASTRA e.V.

“I am excited to continue pioneering the journey of our rocket group to the Karman Line as part of the ongoing effort to democratize access to Space.”

Taha Merchant is in his third semester of the Space Engineering Master Program at Uni Bremen. He has been with ASTRA from the very start and is the Leader of the propulsion team. With his positive nature and relentless work ethic we are delighted to have him on board and form the future of ASTRA with his help.

Taha Merchant -Deputy CEO of ASTRA e.V.

“I am excited to join the Astra board as I have always had a very optimistic belief in Astra’s capabilities as a team and I hope to help it take one step further.”

Arne Stemme is our new Chief Financial Officer. He is studying economics in his Bachelor and joined ASTRA in Oktober 2021. He is the head of Marketing and also leads the fundraising campaign. Arne brings exceptional experience and Know-How that will take ASTRA to a new level and will make the realisation of Project Karman possible. We are excited to see how he will shape ASTRA and its future.

Arne Stemme – CFO of ASTRA e.V.

“My passion has always been to take on complex challenges, from the development of an idea to its implementation. Be it the development of a gutter cleaner as part of a contest or the management of a fictitious bank in a banking simulation game. The business game gave me an exciting insight into the world of business and finance. Now it’s time to put the theory from business administration studies into practice.”

Lotta Dräger is the new secretary of ASTRA. She is in her third semester of the Space Sciences and Technologies Master Program at Uni Bremen and has been with ASTRA from the beginning in early 2021. Throughout her time at ASTRA Lotta has been a valuable member of the Project Management Team and filled the role of secretary in the last tenure of the board already.

Lotta Dräger – Secretary of ASTRA e.V.

“There are few things more exhilarating than working with driven and like-minded people on a passion project. At ASTRA we have just that and I am thrilled to be a part of this team and make our vision a reality.”

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce one more important position in ASTRA here:

Sahana Shastry is our Chief Operation Officer.

She is in her final semester of the Master Program Space Sciences and Technologies at the Uni Bremen. Sahana has been working with ASTRA since June 2021, with her focus area being operations and testing. She has been working relentlessly and is an invaluable member of our core management structure. We are so excited to see what the future holds and how she will impact ASTRAs future.

Sahana Shastry – COO of ASTRA e.V.

“My main motivation comes from seeing the project through the many phases and ensuring the aspect of all the subsystems coming together to achieve the mission objectives.”

As you might have guessed – we are very excited about this team and what we can achieve together. The next year will bring a lot of challenges but everyone at ASTRA is ready and eager to get to work. Even though this post is meant to introduce you to our new management, we always like to point out that we need all 40 students contributing to ASTRA to make Project Karman possible and are thrilled to have so many great minds at work. Thanks to all the support and hard work from everyone we have come a long way already. This does not mean we are close to be done though – we are only getting started..

So let’s get to work and Expand our Horizons!