Eveline Gottzein (30 September 1931 – 24 December 2023)^[1] was a German engineer and honorary professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Stuttgart.

After graduating from high school (1949), Gottzein trained as an electrical engineer, then later enrolled at the Technical University of Dresden (1952–1957), before finally enrolling at Technical University of Darmstadt (1957–1962).^[1]

During her studies, she also worked at the Bölkow KG company in Ottobrunn, and by 1963 had become head of a department.^[2]

In 1983 Gottzein gained her doctorate at the Technical University of Munich to Dr.-Ing. on "The Magnetic Wheel as an autonomous functional unit of modular support and guidance systems for magnetic tracks".

In 1989 she became a lecturer at the University of Stuttgart in "Regulatory Problems in Space", and became an honorary professor in 1996.^[3] She was also an honorary professor of the Technical University of Munich.^[4]

Gottzein specialised in control technology, especially orbital control of satellites, and control systems for guidance systems for high-speed magnetic tracks. She was a scientific advisor to Airbus in the development of a GPS receiver for commercial space applications. She is listed as an inventor on multiple patents.^[5] She led the Control and Simulation Department of the Space Division of Astrium.^[6]

Gottzein is the first, and so far only, woman to be awarded the Werner von Siemens Ring,^[7] one of the highest awards for technical sciences in Germany.

Gottzein died on 24 December 2023, at the age of 92.^[8]

• 1993 Werner von Siemens Ring^[1]
• 1996 Bavarian Order of Merit^[4]
• 1998 Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
• 2000 Great Cross of Merit^[4]
• 2007 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Fellow^[9]
• 2008 International Federation of Automatic Control Fellow^[10]
• 2011 Distinguished Affiliated Professor Technical University of Munich