“One day in 6th grade after a particularly emotional beating from classmates, a switch flipped and I decided to no longer care what others thought of me.”
Maraia Hoffman-Tanner

Maraia Hoffman-Tanner, CEO of Star Harbor Space Academy, shared the story behind her title with us on Sunday, April 24, 2022.
Star Harbor Space Academy is the world’s first publicly accessible spaceflight training facility and cutting-edge research and development campus.
Our mission is to cultivate a sustainable and thriving future for all those on and off the planet.
We believe the minds and technologies that solve our challenges in space will help to solve many of our most pressing challenges on Earth. This is why we are creating affordable public access to the critical infrastructure and testing environments necessary for human spaceflight training and the rapid development of impactful technologies.
SUE SAYS
“Maraia grew up in a small town in California and had a lifelong curiosity about space. As a young girl, she often felt like an outsider as what she describes as a talk, red-haired freckle-faced girl. Having a mother who always supported her nonconformist interests and views, she grew up to launch the very first astronaut school and is committed to finding solutions for climate change and sustainability. “
Listen to our interview with Maraia below!
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