Flying spacecraft means trusting yourself: Gabriela Ansteeg at ESOC

As we continue celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February, we’ve shared a series of stories spotlighting women at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) who fly spacecraft.

Meet Gabriela Ansteeg, Spacecraft Operations Manager (SOM) for ESA’s EarthCARE mission.

With a background in mathematics and applied physics, Gabriela joined ESA as a Young Graduate Trainee in 2015 on the Aeolus mission. She moved to EarthCARE in 2020, supporting its preparation, simulations, the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) and commissioning before becoming SOM in December 2024.

EarthCARE is a joint mission with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and carries four instruments – unusually many for an Earth Observation mission.

“The four payloads keep us quite busy, and coordinating with all the parties involved can be intense. But this synergy makes EarthCARE special. The flight control team plays a crucial role, because we’re the ones in contact with the spacecraft every day.”

How does Gabriela lead her team?

“I’m not the typical leader people imagine. I don’t stand in front giving orders. I listen to my team, understand their workload and support them so we can move forward together. You must really be a team to launch and operate a spacecraft.”

Her approach shows that leadership isn’t about acting tough, but about finding strength in your own way.

“At ESOC, I’ve learned that I’m robust. I can rely on myself to manage the long and intense periods required for satellite operations.”

Her advice to women who feel underrepresented in STEM?

Gabriela emphasises the importance of distinguishing external and internal barriers:

“Don’t let underrepresentation make you doubt yourself, or it will hold you back. Follow what you want to do, do your best, be yourself and trust that it’s enough. Realise that women flying spacecraft is not exceptional. It’s normal.”

This text was previously published on ESA Operations, Engineering, and Space Safety's LinkedIn page.