A lot of sustainability work focuses on fixing an existing problem, but as a senior flight software engineer at Astroscale US, Arielle Cohen is working to prevent problems in orbit before they happen.
“The thing that draws a lot of people to Astroscale is the mission,” she told Payload. “It’s not often you see an overlap between aerospace and tech and sustainability.”
First steps: Cohen’s introduction to space came in California Polytechnic State University’s CubeSat Laboratory, where she helped guide small sat programs from concept to launch to operations. That’s where she first encountered the idea of space sustainability—making sure future generations of students can have access to the same environment in orbit that she did.
She began working at Astroscale US about two years ago and now leads the software development effort for a prototype system to refuel assets in GEO.
“Despite never having been formally trained in how to architect a flight software infrastructure, she has led a team of capable young flight software engineers in doing just that,” Mark Muktoyuk, a senior GNC systems engineer at Astroscale US, wrote in her nomination. “Along the way, Arielle has crafted the culture of the team to know they have the freedom to debate any aspect of our technical solutions without tension or repercussions, which enables the team to utilize the best of the ideas from each of its members.”
Project confidence: Cohen’s top tip to women breaking into the space industry who may be experiencing imposter syndrome—fake it till you make it.
“I would encourage all young women coming into engineering to know that confidence is something you’ll gain, and everyone is capable of learning,” she said. “It takes time to grow.”
