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A-Z of European Space

The first decades: 1959-1994

Personalities Organisations Projects
  • Masters degree in Economics from the Free University of Amsterdam
  • Joined the Secretariat of the Social-Economic Council of the Netherlands
  • 1981-1997 – Various positions in the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs: Senior Policy Advisor in the Energy Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (1981); Head of the Division for Gas Revenues (1986); Deputy Director for Manufacturing and Heavy Industry (1988); Director of the Policy Division (1990) Deputy Director-General for Industry and Director for General Policy Coordination for the Industry Directorate-General (1993).
  • 1993 – 1996 – Chairman of the ESA Council
  • 1997 – President and CEO of Fokker Space BV
  • 2001-2016 – Various management roles within ESA: Director of Technical and Operational Support (2001); Director of Operations and Infrastructure and Head of the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) (2004); Acting ESA Director of Resources Management & Industrial Matters (2010); Director of Corporate Reforms (2011); Director of ESA Improvement Projects (2013); Director of Launchers and Head of ESA HQ (2014)
  • 2020 – Strategic Advisor for ATG Europe

Winters first became involved with space during his time as Director of the Policy Division of the Ministry of Economic Affairs as he was also appointed Policy Coordinator for Space Policy. In his later role as Deputy Director-General for Industry and Director for General Policy Coordination for the Industry Directorate-General he was concerned with all technological development programmes including those for space, and as Director of Manufacturing and Heavy Industry he was directly involved with aerospace issues. He became ESA Director of Technical and Operational Support in June 2001, responsible for ESA's flight operations and corresponding ground segment facilities.

  • 1973-1979 - Studied civil engineering at Technical University (TU) Berlin and Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, degree in Civil Engineering from the latter
  • 1985 – PhD from Technische Hochschule Darmstadt (later TU Darmstadt)
  • 1979-1990 - worked for engineering consultancy König und Heunisch, Frankfurt
  • 1994 – founded Wörner und Partner engineering consultancy
  • 1990–2007 – Various positions at TU Darmstadt: Professor of Civil Engineering Head of the Test and Research Institute, Dean of the Civil Engineering Faculty, elected as President in 1995 and until 2007
  • 2005 - Founding partner of European Center for Aviation Development (ECAD)
  • 2007-2015 - Chairman of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
  •  2007-2015 – Head of the German delegation to ESA 2007-2015) and Chairman of the ESA Council (2012-2014)
  • 2015-2021 – Seventh Director General of ESA
  • 2021 – President of Acatech – German National Academy of Science and Engineering

German civil engineer and university professor Woerner succeeded Jean-Jacques Dordain as Director General of ESA on 1 July 2015. In November 2019, Woerner presented the Space19+ proposal to the ESA Ministerial Council meeting in Seville, Spain, securing an increase in the budget from ESA member states for the following three years. This enabled ESA’s continued commitment to the International Space Station, participation in a Mars sample return project and lunar exploration with NASA.