Luksic Foundation launches women’s podcast and announces support for Chilean woman aspiring to be the country’s first astronaut in space

More than 50 women gathered this Thursday for the launch of the second season of the Luksic Foundation’s podcast: Mujeres que todo lo pueden (Women who can do anything). During the event, the last chapter of the season was recorded live about Matilde Gaete, a physics engineering student at the Catholic University who is training to become the first Chilean astronaut to go into space.

The Women Who Can Do It initiative, launched two years ago by the Luksic Foundation, seeks to encourage more women in Chile to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers, since these fields offer greater and better opportunities in terms of employability, better salaries and professional and personal development.

“Increasing the participation of women in STEM fields is a strategy that will result in increasing productivity, boosting the economy and generating innovation. For them, for their life trajectories and because Chile needs more skilled women for the future. Stories like Matilde’s inspire and mobilize us, which is why as an organization we are committed to this cause and to promoting this type of testimony,” said Macarena Cea, general manager of the Luksic Foundation.

In line with promoting female participation by raising awareness on the subject and the visibility of women who are working in STEM fields, the Luksic Foundation announced that it will financially support Matilde Gaete so that she can complete her training, with the goal of becoming the first Chilean woman to participate in a space mission. During 2026, the engineer will be dedicated to training in order to achieve her dream.

“If I manage to get to space and do science up there, I want to carry the Chilean flag with me, with pride, with all the work I have put into this, with a Latin American woman’s perspective. By being able to carry out scientific experiments in space, we will be able to answer questions that we had never thought of answering before and at the same time develop technologies for our life on Earth. This is the moment for Chile to be part of this new era in space exploration, enjoying its scientific, technological and cultural development”, said Matilde Gaete.

Throughout this year, the future astronaut has dedicated herself to training at the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences in Connecticut, United States, for which she also received support from the Te Apoyamos Foundation created by Andrónico Luksic.

The executive director of Fundación Te Apoyamos, Carolina Ubilla, noted that “as a foundation, we are deeply proud to accompany Matilde in her preparation to become the first Chilean woman to crew a space mission. Her trajectory is an inspiration for thousands of girls and women and that is something we seek to promote. Our commitment is to provide opportunities and support talents, so that people can unfold their potential and achieve their dreams”.

Podcast Women who can do anything

The design of technologies, the democratization of science, the video game industry and medicine with a gender focus shape the second season of the podcast. The series, available on Spotify, includes eleven chapters with women who are developing in these areas, such as Komal Dadlani, Viviana Cavieres, Katherine Vega, Tati Flores and Rocío Mieres.

“Today STEM careers can offer up to 50% higher pay, but they remain highly masculinized. Incorporating more women not only opens up opportunities that improve their quality of life, but also enriches the solutions and advances that impact the daily lives of the population: from the design of seat belts to the development of medicines that also incorporate the female reality. That is why we need public policies and projects that promote their participation and permanence in these industries”, said Komal Dadlani, biochemist and co-founder of Lab4U, where they turn cell phone and tablet sensors into laboratory tools to democratize science education.

This content is part of the campaign of the same name with which the Luksic Foundation, together with more than 20 organizations, educational institutions and companies, seeks to encourage more women in Chile to study STEM careers, as these have broad labor fields, offer more and better opportunities in terms of employability and are also related to more competitive salaries and develop fundamental skills for life in the XXI century.