Thank You

Recently launching her career, Naida Rasheed is new to both the space industry and South Australia. As a Launch Engineer at Southern Launch, her trajectory is steep, and she has a lot to say to those who doubt that a job in space is possible in Australia.

Marc Bryant’s successful Defence Force career spanned England, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, and Australia. And when it came to transitioning to civilian life, Marc and his family chose South Australia as their permanent home base.

In a time not all that long ago, you could have been forgiven for thinking a career in the space industry was something you would have to go overseas to do, and it involved being a rocket scientist or astronaut flying to the moon. This is definitely not the case with a range of exciting careers now available in South Australia in an industry that’s making a difference to the way we live, and helping to create a sustainable future.

Farisha Jamal has been working in the South Australian space industry for under a year, but is part of a growing constellation of female engineers lighting a successful career path in the sector. She’s now empowering other women and young girls to reach for the stars.

Allan Dias was born in Brazil and, after his father received a job offer, he found himself moving to China during high school. Now, having moved to Australia to work in space, Allan’s rising through the ranks in a truly exciting industry and sharing a message for anyone interested – there is space for everyone in space.

From receiving a Bachelor of Biomedical Science to becoming a successful retail banking manager, to then building a high-powered career in professional services consulting – at face value, this doesn’t sound like a road that leads to the defence and space industries. But this less travelled path is the one that Imelda Alexopoulos has taken, and she is not looking back.

Throughout his colourful career, Veteran Dave Saunders has worn many hats, sharpening his skill set in roles across Defence, public service, research and most recently, space. Dave’s career path is one of many twists and turns, proving that there’s always room to learn and grow in South Australia’s ever evolving defence and space industries.

A keen interest in science and physics in Nishanth Sri Shiva Madhavan’s former school years has paved the way to an exciting career in the space industry.