MIT ALIENS
Aerospace Leaders, Investors, Engineers and Students
A student-led industry report exploring the current aerospace ecosystem and where it's headed.
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Student Authors
The students who researched, wrote, and produced this work.
Jay Vachhani
MBA, MIT Sloan '27
Jay Vachhani was scaling aerostructures for Unmanned Autonomous Systems at Jaivel Aerospace, owning activities across concept to production. Navigating international export control regulations and establishing a global supply chain for a first-of-its-kind project in India, an MSME producing full aircraft structures. Jay's earlier work experience spans investment banking and consulting.
Konark Chopra
LGO: SM MIT AeroAstro, MBA MIT Sloan '27
Konark Chopra led propulsion for Astrobotic's Griffin lunar lander, a NASA payload delivery mission to the Moon. He has experience across flight hardware development, supplier management, and production process engineering for launch, lunar, and satellite propulsion systems. His earlier work spans Rocket Lab's Rutherford engine, SpinLaunch's Kinetic Launch System, SpaceX's Starlink electric propulsion, and NASA JPL's Mars 2020 sample collection system.
Fritz Demopoulos
Visiting Fellow, MIT '26
Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 10 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation.
Matt DiPinto
MBA, MIT Sloan '27
Matthew DiPinto is a Principal Systems Engineer and Technical Lead at DZYNE Technologies, now Ondas Sentinel. He has experience across remote sensing, algorithm development, data analysis, and program management. His earlier work spans service as a commander and operations officer in the US Army.
Ganit Goldstein
PhD Candidate, Computation & Design, MIT
Ganit Goldstein is a PhD student and Presidential Fellow in MIT's Design Computation Group, researching how smart textiles can transform spacesuit engineering. She has experience across multi-material 3D printing, computational design, and programmable textiles, with work exhibited at Milan Design Week and museums worldwide. Her earlier work spans MIT's Self-Assembly Lab, the Media Lab's Tangible Media Group, and the Royal College of Art.
Taylor Hampson
PhD Candidate, Nuclear Science & Engineering, MIT '29
Taylor Hampson researches the design and test of nuclear thermal propulsion systems as a NASA Graduate Research Fellow at MIT. He has experience across reactor core design, fluid systems analysis, and high-power electric propulsion testing. His earlier work spans NASA, Stoke Space, design and test engineering at Blue Origin, and co-founding at Georgia Tech's CREATE-X.
Thara Konduri
LGO: SM MIT MechE, MBA MIT Sloan '27
Thara Konduri specializes in electromechanical hardware design for space and advanced manufacturing. She previously worked at Boeing Satellite Systems, where she led the design, analysis, and testing of printed circuit boards and electronic units for spaceflight and terrestrial applications. Currently an MIT LGO Fellow pursuing a dual MS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, Thara serves as Co-President of the Machine Intelligence for Manufacturing and Operations (MIMO) club, focusing on how to scale and lead next-generation hardware ventures.
Paul Kuechler
LGO: SM MIT MechE, MBA MIT Sloan '27
Paul Kuechler is a Research Fellow in Maritime Systems at Northrop Grumman while pursuing his MS/MBA at MIT. He has experience across hardware design, test and integration for seagliders, and naval architecture. His earlier work spans propulsion design at REGENT, and mechanical design for American Magic's 37th America's Cup campaign.
Nicole Lee
SM/PhD, Aeronautics & Astronautics, MIT '27
Nicole Lee develops technologies for human performance and spaceflight as a graduate researcher in MIT's Human Systems Lab and Media Lab. She is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Brooke Owens Fellow, Matthew Isakowitz Commercial Space Scholar, and ASCENT Fellow, and serves as President of the Graduate Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the MIT Space Industry Club. She is pursuing an S.M./Ph.D. in AeroAstro and a dual S.M. in Technology and Policy. A Caltech graduate in mechanical engineering and Business, Economics, and Management, her earlier work also includes environmental research and venture capital.
Yohan (Elliot) Lim
MS Aeronautics & Astronautics & MS Technology & Policy '27, MIT
Elliot (Yohan) Lim is a Draper Scholar and a dual S.M. candidate at MIT. He earned a B.S., with honors, in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and commissioned as a U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Officer in 2025. His prior research includes work at Army Research Laboratory West in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, and with U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, where he focused on synthetic aperture radar and ground-sensor research. His current work centers on space-domain awareness and space situational awareness, particularly detecting and characterizing geosynchronous (GEO) satellite maneuvers.
Daniel Romano
LGO: SM MIT AeroAstro, MBA MIT Sloan '26
A Purdue and MIT engineer, Daniel has experience in sterile drug and heavy machinery manufacturing. Upon graduating from MIT in May 2026, Daniel will work at Boeing on the Leadership Development Program. His expertise spans large scale systems design and development, with a key focus on manufacturing execution and producibility of concepts.
Dinuri Rupasinghe
MS/PhD Candidate, MIT Aeronautics & Astronautics
Dinuri Rupasinghe is a GNC Engineer at Blue Origin and previously developed overspeed protection models for the 777-9 at Boeing. She has experience across flight controls, trajectory modeling, and spacecraft propulsion testing. Her earlier work spans Draper, the MIT Media Lab's Space Enabled group, NASA JPL's guidance and control team, and co-founding Our Kaia.
Chase Scanlan
LGO: SM MIT AeroAstro, MBA MIT Sloan '27
Chase Scanlan is a Production Engineering Manager at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He has experience across payload systems engineering, satellite systems integration, and chief-of-staff operations. His earlier work spans Boeing's Government Satellite Systems, software engineering at Rockwell Collins, and mechanical engineering research.
Chandler Smith
MBA, MIT Sloan '27
Chandler Smith works on Starshield operations as an intern at SpaceX while pursuing her MBA at MIT Sloan. She has experience across strategy, operations, and financial analysis. Her earlier work spans Deloitte, where she rose to Senior Consultant, and Goldman Sachs, where she was a Summer Analyst.
Peijun (Tracy) Chen
Media, Arts & Sciences, Wellesley College '29
Peijun Chen builds Django-based academic writing tools as a web developer for MIT Comparative Media Studies/Writing while pursuing her degree in Media Arts & Sciences at Wellesley College. She has experience across app development, digital product design, and interactive media. Her earlier work spans computer science research at Wellesley, cinematography for the Tsinglin Hong Kong Documentary Program, and photography leadership at HFI.
Austin Wolf
MBA, MIT Sloan '27
Austin is an engineer and MIT MBA student driven by the challenge of building and scaling transformative technologies. His background in aerospace sparked a deep appreciation for high-stakes engineering, and that curiosity has grown into a broader passion for operations across automotive, tech, and advanced manufacturing.
Faculty Affiliated
Prof. David Mindell
Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing · Aeronautics & Astronautics
Cofounder and Partner at Unless.
Instructor of 16.445 Entrepreneurship in Aerospace & Mobility Systems, Spring 2026, under which this report was inspired, researched and produced.