Surcouf founded the women's aeronautical club Aéroclub féminin la Stella and served as its president.

It took until the Management Committee meeting on 8 May 1904 for an agreement that women related to ACDF members could officially participate in the balloon ascensions, for the not inconsiderable sum of 80 French francs.

Marie Surcouf was elected as chairwoman, the vice-chairman was Mrs. Saunière, the wife of the Chairman of the ACDF, and the Secretary was Miss Gache.

[6] From March 1906, new members joined the Women's Committee and it began to expand with the first Women's Committee event taking place on 24 May 1906 at the ACDF's balloon park, located at the Rueil gas factory for easy access to the lighter than air gases required to lift the balloons.

They flew from the Parc des Coteaux in Saint-Cloud, to Neuilly sur Marne, in a flight lasting 2 hours and 45 minutes, and a distance of around 31 kilometers.

A speech reproduced in "L'Aéro" on 28 January 1909 declared that "The woman, like the man, has the duty to be sporty, if she has to make a selection among the many sports practiced today, aerostatics (air ballooning) is certainly the one she will choose first.

[12] Men were admitted as members of La Stella but did not have decision-making rights within the association, only being allowed to accompany their wives as passengers.

Marie Surcouf stated that “La Stella is a women's club that allows fathers, husbands, sons or brothers of its members to accompany them on their air trips".

In April 1910, Surcouf was quoted as saying that la Stella was "a school of energy, poetry, gentleness... a movement of well-understood feminism ... aerial sport is an attraction because it helps to develop the qualities of initiative, strong will and disregard for danger, which have become indispensable to current feminist aspirations.

[15] La Stella organised conferences, cultural and musical evenings, tea parties called "Stella-Thé", and developed a tradition of annual banquets, as well as balloon ascensions and flights by plane, and visits to aeronautical facilities.

The Netherlands Indies Dutch Béatrix de Rijk (aka Beatrice Deryck) was another member and she was both a balloonist and an aviator.

[15] On 17 December 1912, at the Palais d'Orsay, during the great annual banquet of la Stella, Marie Surcouf plead the cause of women.

Members of La Stella, under Surcouf's presidency, organized charitable events in support of military aeronautics.

Finally, the announcement of the dissolution of La Stella was made on 30 June 1926 at the meeting of the Permanent Consultative Commission of the companies affiliated to the l'Aéro-Club de France.