Nicola Winter

Megatrends are thematic areas that present changes and currents within the industry and guide strong tendencies in different directions.

Nicola was a fighter pilot in the German Armed Forces for more than a decade, was one of only three women in the Air Force to pilot the Eurofighter, trained young pilots herself in the U.S. for several years, and most recently held the rank of major. Flying, space and adventure are Nicola's passions – "I want to do pioneering work, the destination could also be the moon or Mars," says Nicola. After a stint in management consulting and industry, she now works in space research and as a lecturer in emergency and crisis management and is pursuing a PhD in space science. In 2022, she beat out more than 22,500 applicants in ESA's astronaut selection process and is now part of the astronaut reserve.