• 1946-1952 – Studies in civil engineering and Doctorate in Law from the Catholic University of Louvain
• 1953-1962 - Attorney at the Bar in Antwerp, specialising in maritime and commercial law
• 1962-1964 - Legal Expert in the NATO Starfighter Monitoring Office in Koblenz
• 1964-1971 - Head of the ESRO Contracts Service at ESTEC and, from 1968, Head of the Contracts Department
• 1972 - Administrative director of ELDO and ESA Director of Administration from 1975 to 1992
• On retirement from ESA: President of the International Space University (1991-1994), President of the International Astronautical Federation (1988-1990), Vice-President of the Committee for Space Law of the International Bar Association (1987-1989)

In 1964 Van Reeth was appointed by ESRO to head the Contracts Service at ESTEC. He was instrumental in defining its industrial policy and setting up some of the first European industrial consortia. In 1972 he became Administrative Director of ELDO and in April 1973 its Acting Secretary General following the resignation of Robert Aubinière. When ELDO and ESRO were merged to form ESA in 1975 he was appointed Director of Administration in Paris. Here, in addition to overall responsibility for the budget and procurement, he was involved in all aspects of European space policy, and in particular, international relations, industrial policy and relations with other space organisations, notably NASA.

See also: Interview 1 and Interview 2 with George Van Reeth from the Oral History of Europe in Space Collection

• 1954 – Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at California Institute of Technology
• 1962 - Doctorate in Applied Sciences at the University of Brussels
• 1952 - Assistant in the Aeronautical Institute of the University of Brussels (1952-1960) and then Lecturer on satellite technology and rocket propulsion
• 1960-1962 – Technical Advisor to the Belgian Delegation during negotiations leading to the creation of ESRO and ELDO.
• 1962-1985 – Joined COPERS and subsequently ESRO and worked in various positions and at various establishments for ESRO and later ESA until retirement in 1985

Vandenkerckhove’s long career with COPERS, ESRO and ESA began in 1962, when he was the second engineer to join COPERS in Paris. He transferred to ESTEC from 1964 to 1969, first as Assistant to the Director of Satellite Projects, and from 1965 to 1969 as Deputy Director of the Sounding Rockets Division and Project Manager of the scientific satellite HEOS-A, launched in December 1968. He then moved to Paris in 1969, where he was Assistant Director for Space Applications in the Directorate of Programmes and Plans until 1971.  
Back at ESTEC, from 1971 to 1977 he was Project Manager for mobile telecommunications satellites, playing key role in the definition and design of maritime   satellites. From 1978 to 1985 Vandenkerckhove was Assistant Technical Director at ESA HQ in Paris, participating in the preparation of ESA’s programmes, especially its Technology Research Programme and its Industrial Policy.  His special tasks included being a member of the Ariane L5 Failure Enquiry Board, and afterwards member of the Flight Readiness Boards for flights V6 to V14 and of the Ariane 3 Qualification Board, a member of the committee which, in 1984, prepared ESA’s Long-Term Programme 1985-1995, and studies on the economy of space programmes (both GEO satellites and LEO platforms).

• 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.