Michaela Benthaus & Hans Königsmann

Space Engineer and First Wheelchair User in Space

Former Vice President of SpaceX

On May 27, 2026, the TUM Speakers Series welcomed Michaela Benthaus, Space Engineer and First Wheelchair User in Space, as well as Hans Königsmann, Former Vice President of SpaceX, to the Audimax on TUM Main Campus in Munich.

In a special double format, we had the honour of welcoming two individuals to the Audimax who have both pushed the boundaries of what is possible in human spaceflight. In their shared keynote titled “Beyond Gravity: Breaking Barriers on Earth and in Space”, they shared their stories and provided valuable insights to our guests and us.

Michaela Benthaus, a TUM Alumna, shared her personal story of how a biking accident left her paralysed and how that dark moment opened the door to becoming the first wheelchair user flying to space. She took the audience on a ride through the challenges and rewards of her journey and how she met Hans Königsmann and how they collaborated on pushing and breaking boundaries on the path of making space inclusive. An emotional highlight was her showing a video with the highlights of her first successful spaceflight with Blue Origin.

Hans Königsmann, an aerospace engineer, opened up about his time at one of the most revolutionary companies, SpaceX. As Vice President for Flight Reliability he built the systems and culture behind launches of Falcon 1 to Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon. He also shared insights in the different working cultures of American companies in comparison to Germany as well as chatting about working with Elon Musk. Besides his career at SpaceX he talked about his current role as a consultant to start-ups and young companies and gave our guests valuable tips on how to be successful.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, our moderator Cara Speer, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kramer for his opening remarks and the whole team of the TUM Speakers Series for making this extraordinary evening possible!