Dr. Norah Patten

Aeronautical Engineer & First Irish Astronaut Candidate

Dr. Norah Patten is an aeronautical engineer and bioastronautics researcher with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS). In June 2024, she was announced as part of the IIAS-02 research spaceflight crew with Virgin Galactic, a mission that will mark her first flight to space and make her the first Irish person to do so.

Norah holds a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Limerick and has led pioneering work in microgravity research, including aerosolisation studies, commercial spacesuit testing, and 3D bioprinting experiments for use in space. She also created and managed The Only Way is Up - Ireland’s first student experiment to launch to the International Space Station.

A passionate advocate for STEM, Norah is the award-winning author of Shooting for the Stars, which won the 2019 An Post Children’s Book of the Year (Senior). She regularly speaks on topics such as dreaming big, women in STEAM, overcoming obstacles, space science and research, career journeys, and the power of taking risks and seizing opportunities. Her story, from a childhood visit to NASA in Ohio to becoming Ireland’s first astronaut-in-training, continues to inspire audiences of all ages to find their place in a rapidly changing world.

Norah has held faculty roles with the International Space University and worked with organisations including Boeing, Bell Labs, and Réaltra Space Systems Engineering. She remains deeply committed to engaging the next generation through science, storytelling, and her own journey to the stars.