Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun was born into an aristocratic family in Wirsitz, then part of the German Empire. His father was a conservative politician, and his mother fostered his intellectual curiosity. A pivotal moment occurred when he received a telescope for his confirmation, igniting his lifelong fascination with astronomy and the possibility of space travel.

Von Braun joined the Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR), an amateur rocket group, and simultaneously enrolled in the Berlin Institute of Technology, earning a doctorate in physics in 1934. Recognizing the military potential of rocketry, he joined the German Army Ordnance Department, leading a team that developed the A-4 rocket, later known as the V-2.