Happy National Intern Day! Meet our interns:

Dennis Klingener

Dennis Klingener is Airbus U.S. Space & Defense’s quality engineering intern this summer and works in the Merritt Island, Fl office. He will begin his senior year at the University of Central Florida in the fall, studying computer science.

What Dennis has enjoyed most from his internship at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense is the exposure to new technology. Splitting his time between the quality engineering team and software engineering team, Dennis has helped the quality team complete a mass audit for Arrow 450 satellites and assisted the software engineering team testing and debugging the satellite components. Through his internship, he has gained more technical knowledge of our satellites’ software, hardware, and internal processes.

Dennis’s favorite experience at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense has been working in the FAL at Merritt Island, where he observed the finished satellites up close. “It was exciting to see how the work of many different teams went into completing those satellites,” he said.

When asked why he wanted to intern with Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, he pointed to the values of the company. “They have a great reputation as a company,” he said. “Their mission aligns well with my interests.”

Jeffrey Grow

Jeffrey Grow is this summer’s electrical engineering intern at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and works in the Arlington, Va., office. He recently graduated from the University of Virginia, studying computer and electrical engineering, and will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall to pursue an M.S. in electrical engineering.

Jeffrey has enjoyed interning with Airbus U.S. Space & Defense for the past two years, where he’s had the opportunity to work with the avionics team on longer-term projects. Currently, he is working with the team on a hardware development project by performing stress analyses and creating footprint libraries for circuit boards.

This summer, his favorite experience was visiting the Satair warehouse in Herndon, Va. “I enjoyed seeing how they were using new technologies to improve the logistics of providing replacement parts to Airbus aircrafts.”

Jeffrey is looking forward to learning more through the rest of his internship. “Before I leave, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the hardware design process, especially for spacecraft,” he said. “I can definitely see myself pursuing a career in that field after graduate school.”

Erik Dahlhaus Broude

Erik Dahlhaus Broude is Airbus U.S. Space & Defense’s propulsion engineering intern in the Arlington, Va. office. This fall, he’ll begin his junior year at the University of California, Berkeley, studying aerospace engineering.

Interning at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense was an easy decision for Erik. “When our Chief Technology Officer, Armen Askijian, presented to the Aerospace Engineering Class of ’27 at UC Berkeley, he made it a no-brainer for me to intern here.”

This summer, Erik has developed an application that allows teams to visualize changes to satellite capabilities or fuel loads if key parameters within a mission plan change.

His favorite experience during his internship was attending “DC SpaceBall” at Nationals Park, where he networked with other professionals in the space industry. “Every time we’re able to be together as an intern group is a blast,” he added.

When asked what he has loved most about his time here, Erik said the people. “The office environment encourages connections and makes it much easier for me to forget about being so far from home.”

Eleanor Lavin

Eleanor Lavin is this summer’s marketing & communications intern in the Arlington, Va. office at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense. This fall, she will begin her senior year studying marketing at Clemson University.

What Eleanor has enjoyed most about her internship has been learning about the different parts of the company. “Having the opportunity to work with not only my team but people from across all the different lines of business has helped me learn more than I could have imagined.”

This summer, Eleanor has supported the marketing and communications team by creating social media content, writing feature articles, photographing events, and creating employee spotlights. She has appreciated the opportunity to work on a wide range of tasks during her time here.

Eleanor’s favorite experience during the summer was visiting the Satair warehouse in Herndon, Va. She found it fascinating to see how the warehouse utilizes technology to increase efficiency.

What surprises Eleanor most about her internship is how happy every employee is to answer her questions or teach her something new. “Everyone is doing such important work here that I wasn’t expecting the great support I’ve received.”

Jonathan Dudley

Jonathan Dudley is this summer’s accounting intern in the Arlington, Va. office. He’ll begin his senior year at George Mason University in the fall, studying accounting. At his previous school, he studied aerospace engineering.

Jonathan chose to intern at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense because his position combines his interests in accounting and aerospace. “I’m a logical person and much of aerospace defies logic, which grabs my attention.”

This summer, Jonathan’s primary responsibility was with the General Ledger, Accounts Payable, and internal controls. Currently, the accounting department is updating its internal reviews and documentation. Jonathan’s main task is to facilitate the creation of the documents to ensure the team has written down their internal controls.

Jonathan’s favorite experience from his internship so far is when he asked our Chief Financial Officer, Mohamed Denden, for any extra work. Jonathan was quickly put to work reviewing financial statements and writing reports on each section. “That task first allowed me to take the accounting skills I’ve studied in school and apply them to the real world,” he said.

One thing Jonathan wants to take away from his internship is the relationships he has built with his managers and coworkers. “I’ve met some amazing people here, and those connections are what matter most to me,” he said.

Jon Rossi

Jon Rossi is this summer’s software engineering intern in the Arlington, Va. office at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense. He will begin his senior year in the fall at the University of Maryland, where he studies computer science.

When asked why he chose to intern at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Jon said the opportunity was unlike any other software internship. “Most software engineering internships are with software companies, making products that run on servers, personal computers, or cell phones. But we make software that runs on a satellite 800 miles above ground, which I found to be a far more interesting challenge.”

This summer, Jon has worked on tools to export information from databases and decoding raw data collected from satellites to make it readable to humans. He’s also learned more about space, satellite technology, and how the software engineering team operates daily.

Jon’s favorite experience this summer was a lab tour where the Software Engineering team explained their work and how they do it.

In addition to gaining work experience, Jon hopes that this summer will help him understand what he wants to do in his future career.

Nicole Kladakis

Nicole Kladakis is this summer’s business and program operations intern in the Arlington, Va. office. Nicole is a rising junior at Duke University, studying mechanical engineering.

“I have always been fascinated by the space industry, and this position at Airbus allowed me to utilize my engineering background while also exploring the company’s business side,” she said.

Being the business and program operations intern allows Nicole to learn about the technical side of products and its potential impact on the lives of others.

Nicole has worked on the ARROW 450 product line development and configuration management this summer. She has also worked with the engineering and operations departments to define configurations of the spacecraft Bus.

Nicole’s favorite summer experience was having lunch with Debra Facktor, Head of Airbus U.S. Space Systems, and Maria MacNamara, CEO of The Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA). “I learned so much about the up-and-coming space industry and the incredible opportunities for women.”

What Nicole loved most about interning here was the sense of community she experienced. She hopes to maintain her connections and utilize the advice she’s receiving in her future career.

Eric Kim

Eric Kim is this summer’s military programs intern for the contractor logistic support (CLS) team at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering this past spring and is currently getting his Master of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering, focusing on certification in unmanned vehicle systems.

Eric knew that interning at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense was the right decision for him. “They’re a leader in the Aerospace field,” he said. “Any opportunity to learn from a company like that cannot be passed up.”

This summer, Eric mainly worked on configurations for the Lakota helicopter that meet the customers’ needs. Additionally, he provides any other support needed when responding to RFI and RFP.

The favorite part of his internship was daily interactions with the people who work with him. “The environment here is inviting and fosters support and initiative,” he said. Eric added that everyone was helpful and always willing to share their knowledge with him.

What Eric hopes to gain from his internship is continued experience in working with proposals and business. He’s learned a significant amount in the past year as an intern and hopes to continue his learning journey.

Brady Summers

Brady Summers is Airbus U.S. Space & Defense’s military aircraft engineering intern this summer and works in the Mobile, Al. office. He is a junior at Oklahoma State University, studying computer and electrical engineering with minors in computer science and Japanese.

Brady has enjoyed interning with Airbus U.S. Space & Defense this summer, where he’s had the opportunity to apply his long fascination with aerospace to the real world. “This summer has been an adventure,” he said. “There’s never a day when I’m not learning something new.” The favorite skill he’s gained has been learning how to use AutoCAD, a design and drafting software.

This summer, Brady especially enjoyed being a part of the intern team. He’s had fun competing in the weekly intern challenges where he bonded with the team through various games. “Everyone here is kind and has been extremely helpful through my internship.”

Brady’s favorite experience from his summer thus far has been seeing commercial and military aircraft up close right by his office. “I found it interesting to see the end products of the work of many engineers.”

Brady looks forward to seeing what he will accomplish during the rest of the summer. He is happy to have extensive experience to take with him after the summer ends.

Papa Quainoo

Papa is this summer’s mechanical engineering and assembly test and launch operations (ATLO) intern. In the fall, he’ll begin his senior year at the Georgia Institute of Technology, studying aerospace engineering.

As the ATLO intern, Papa primarily works on creating models of the components involved in the Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) mission to make a storyboard of how the various elements of the Assembly, Test and Launch processes would occur. “Interning here has given me opportunities to put the skills I’ve learned in class into practice.”

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense also enabled Papa to learn and work on something new: satellites. Although he has prior experience with aircraft and spacecraft, working with satellite technology was new for him. “It’s been an eye-opening experience,” he said.

Papa found the mentorship program designed for interns most valuable in his internship this summer. The mentorship program has allowed him to interact with employees at different stages of their careers who are happy to share how to be successful in the industry.

As Papa continues his internship, he looks forward to seeing what he’ll learn from the future challenges he’ll face. “From being a little boy screaming at the sight of a plane to interning in the industry that creates them, working with Airbus U.S. Space & Defense is a dream come true.”

Risha Das

Risha is this summer’s systems engineering intern at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense. She is a senior and will graduate this December with two bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics from Arizona State University.

Risha was matched with her internship through the Brooke Owens Fellowship, a non-profit organization that recognizes exceptional women studying aerospace with space and aviation internships.

As our systems engineering intern, Risha is working on an advanced technology project that could complement a variety of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense’s satellite configurations. She also is working to develop a systems-level solution to address GPS vulnerabilities in communications systems.

Risha has appreciated how much her internship has taught her. “The welcoming environment here encourages our curiosity and complements our drive to learn more about anything and everything in the space industry,” she said.

Her favorite experience during her internship was the Future Space Leaders Conference, where interns met space industry pioneers— from NASA space policy analysts to Congressmen. “We learned about space’s most important challenges, from space sustainability and national security to the most recent SpaceX and Blue Origin innovations.”

Risha has enjoyed gaining real-world technical experience in the industry that she will be able to pair with her undergraduate research experiences and future graduate school career endeavors.

Hannah Nabavi

Hannah is this summer’s strategy and new business intern at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense. She recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in engineering physics. In the fall, Hannah will attend Stanford University for her graduate studies in aeronautics and astronautics.

When choosing an internship, Hannah was drawn to the great learning and growth opportunities that Airbus U.S. Space & Defense provides to interns.

As a strategy and new business intern, Hannah has been working on performing a competitive market analysis, creating a product life-cycle standardization, writing strategy formulation, and supporting proposal efforts. Her favorite assignment has been the competitive market analysis, where she is researching existing space capabilities in the market.

What Hannah has enjoyed most this summer was exploring strategy in the context of commercial space. “Seeing how new business opportunities are discovered and strategic decisions made has been an eye-opening experience for me,” she said.

For the rest of the summer, Hannah’s hoping to continue building her strategic thinking skills and learning how to navigate new business opportunities that will change the industry.