Launching a career: An ASU student’s path to space

An aerospace engineering degree program can be very challenging. Balancing coursework, research lab experience, clubs and internships requires hard work and passion. Ysabella McAuliffe says the challenging academic journey has helped shape her path towards a successful future in the aerospace industry.

Now an aerospace engineering student in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, McAuliffe’s interest in the field started from an early age.
“I always loved space, and wanted to be an astronaut when I was younger,” McAuliffe says. “As I grew up, I realized I wanted to combine my passion for space with the hands-on aspects of engineering.”

When deciding where to go to school, McAuliffe was drawn to the resources that ASU has to offer.

“A big reason why I chose ASU in the first place is because of the connections this school has to industry,” she says. “I’ve been able to meet and network with some leaders in the space industry, which has really contributed not only to my experiences but also helped land my internship.”

Turning networking into opportunity

Last year, McAuliffe interned with Firefly Aerospace, a private space startup specializing in launching spacecraft and lunar landers into space. McAuliffe says networking was a main contributor to getting the job.

“I met an ASU alum working for Firefly Aerospace at an industry leader event,” she says. “He stopped by the lab I was working at, and speaking with him helped me land an internship at the company.”

At Firefly Aerospace, McAuliffe was on the pressurized structures team, where she
gained first-hand technical experience in the field. As a design-focused role, McAuliffe
worked with software, like NX CAD, along with hand calculations to do stress analysis for pressurized test rigs and create engineering drawings using geometric design and tolerancing.

“The pressurized structures team works on all pressurized tanks for their vehicles, including the Alpha rocket, which I got to write qualification and acceptance test procedures and reports for,” she says. “I saw a lot of overlap from my classes, which was reassuring. It feels good to see the connection between class and industry firsthand.”

However, not everything was straightforward.

“There was definitely a learning curve,” she says, “but I think every engineering student needs to learn how to pick themselves back up after failing. It makes us more capable as engineers if we let failure help us grow, instead of taking it personally and giving up.”

Research beyond the classroom

McAuliffe also works in the Interplanetary Lab at ASU on the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat, or SPARCS. She collaborates with other engineers on assembling and launching advanced CubeSat systems into orbit.

A CubeSat is a type of small satellite mainly used for data acquisition. Specifically, SPARCS was developed to collect data on the habitability of regions surrounding low-mass stars. The CubeSat monitors activity on these stars, including flares, which are electromagnetic bursts of radiation.

SPARCS was launched into orbit in January of 2026 on a SpaceX rocket.

“It’s a rare opportunity for an undergraduate to get this hands-on experience building flight hardware. I’m really grateful to have been a part of the project,” McAuliffe notes.

McAuliffe’s experiences in both the lab and the workforce have also helped her with recreational activities.

As a member of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Rocketry Division, McAuliffe competed at the International Rocketry Engineering Competition in 2025, after being the payload team lead for the rocket.

“We placed 7th, which is awesome considering how many teams there were,” says McAuliffe.

Additionally, McAuliffe’s experiences at ASU have helped her decide the trajectory of her career.

“I’ve been thinking about going to graduate school,” she says. “I’m planning on pursuing my master’s degree at ASU if there’s a topic and research that really connects with me. The hands-on experiences I’ve gained have made me interested in research within the space industry, and I think that would be worth going to grad school for.”

McAuliffe’s experiences have helped her pursue a co-op internship with Northrop Grumman as a mechanical engineering intern for the summer of 2026.

Written by Summer Martinez
Communications Assistant
School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Arizona State University
Email: [email protected]