Name: TUM Speakers Series x Michaela Benthaus & Hans Königsmann
Start: 2026-05-27T17:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-05-27T18:10:00+02:00
Location: TUM Audimax

$TUM Speakers Series x Michaela Benthaus & Hans K\u00f6nigsmann$

Meet Michaela Benthaus, Space Engineer and first Wheelchair User who flew to Space as well as Hans Königsmann, Former VP at SpaceX.
About this Event

About the Event:
What does it take to launch humans into space, and what changes when you do? On May 27, 2026, the TUM Speakers Series brings two pioneers of the private space revolution to the stage at TU München.

Hans Königsmann, Former Vice President of Flight Reliability at SpaceX, and Michaela Benthaus, Space Engineer and the first wheelchair user to fly to space, will share a rare dual perspective on the two companies reshaping humanity's future beyond Earth.

In a shared keynote, Königsmann takes the audience inside SpaceX, the company that rewrote the rules of orbital spaceflight, while Benthaus recounts her groundbreaking journey aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard mission. A moderated discussion and open Q&A follow, giving the audience direct access to both speakers on the future of space exploration, the realities of the industry, and what it means to push the boundaries of what humans can achieve.

About the Speaker:
Hans Königsmann is a German aerospace engineer and one of the key architects of SpaceX's rise. As Former Vice President of Flight Reliability, he built the systems and culture behind some of the most consequential launches in modern spaceflight history, from Falcon 1 to Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon. He brings decades of firsthand experience at the frontier of private space.

Michaela Benthaus is a Space Engineer and a historic figure in human spaceflight: she became the first wheelchair user to fly to space aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard mission. Her story challenges who gets to go to space and what inclusive spaceflight can look like. A TUM alumna, she returns to her Alma Mater to share her experience for the first time.

About TUM Speakers Series:
The TUM Speakers Series is one of Europe’s leading student-run platforms for dialogue between business, politics, and society. Its mission is to provide a platform for exchange between the leaders of today and tomorrow. Since 1999, we have hosted more than 160 events with over 100,000 attendees, welcoming world leaders such as Bill Gates, Kofi Annan, Sam Altman, and Tony Blair.
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Agenda

🕑: 04:20 PM - 04:55 PM
Admission
🕑: 05:00 PM - 05:25 PM
Keynote

Info: Beyond Gravity: Breaking Barriers on Earth and in Space

🕑: 05:25 PM - 05:50 PM
Moderated Panel Discussion
🕑: 05:50 PM - 06:10 PM
Audience Q&A