NEW PERSPECTIVES ON SPACE, TECHNOLOGY, HUMAN FRONTIER AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON SPACE AND HUMAN FRONTIER.
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON SPACE, TECHNOLOGY, HUMAN FRONTIER AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON SPACE, TECHNOLOGY, HUMAN FRONTIER AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
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MEET AKSHATA
From NASA missions to building the future.
From NASA missions to building the future.
From NASA missions to building the future.
From NASA missions to building the future.
Akshata’s career has taken her from India to MIT, from spacecraft systems to planetary exploration, and from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to the next generation of ideas in human space exploration as CEO of Astren Labs.
Akshata’s career has taken her from India to MIT, from spacecraft systems to planetary exploration, and from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to the next generation of ideas in human space exploration as CEO of Astren Labs.
Over the last decade, she has played a pivotal role and contributed to several NASA missions including the TESS space telescope, discovering new worlds, the Perseverance Mars rover, searching for signs of ancient life, ASTERIA, the smallest planet-hunting satellite ever flown, and NISAR, the largest Earth observatory in space.
Over the last decade, she has played a pivotal role and contributed to several NASA missions including the TESS space telescope, discovering new worlds, the Perseverance Mars rover, searching for signs of ancient life, ASTERIA, the smallest planet-hunting satellite ever flown, and NISAR, the largest Earth observatory in space.
Her work has spanned spacecraft systems, mission operations, uncertainty modeling, autonomous systems, scientific research and technology development.
Her work has spanned spacecraft systems, mission operations, uncertainty modeling, autonomous systems, scientific research and technology development.
Editorial portrait, not the observatory-dome stock shot
Editorial portrait, not the observatory-dome stock shot
AS FEATURED IN
HER STORY
Curiosity came first.
Curiosity came first.
Akshata grew up in India with a fascination for science, space, and the possibility of discovering something that had never been discovered before. That curiosity led to a long journey from pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore, and then moving to the US to continue her dream of working on space missions. She graduated with a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, specializing in space propulsion.
Akshata grew up in India with a fascination for science, space, and the possibility of discovering something that had never been discovered before. That curiosity led to a long journey from pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore, and then moving to the US to continue her dream of working on space missions. She graduated with a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, specializing in space propulsion.
Engineer to scientist.
Engineer to scientist.
Her deep interest in space research then led her to a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She worked at the intersection of science and engineering on NASA exoplanet missions, TESS and ASTERIA, and published papers in leading journals on instrument calibration and performance modeling for space telescopes, exoplanet discovery with TESS, and the first-ever CMOS data processing pipeline for exoplanet detection with ASTERIA. Her natural inclination towards entrepreneurship led her to obtain a Minor in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration from MIT.
Her deep interest in space research then led her to a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She worked at the intersection of science and engineering on NASA exoplanet missions, TESS and ASTERIA, and published papers in leading journals on instrument calibration and performance modeling for space telescopes, exoplanet discovery with TESS, and the first-ever CMOS data processing pipeline for exoplanet detection with ASTERIA. Her natural inclination towards entrepreneurship led her to obtain a Minor in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration from MIT.
Leadership through service.
Leadership through service.
While at MIT, she served in several leadership positions, including as President of the Graduate Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Co-Chair of the MIT India Conference, Executive Board member of the Graduate Student Council, MIT Sandbox Fund Fellow mentoring and advising early stage technology startups, and was appointed to the MIT Presidential Advisory Cabinet, an advising body and sounding board to the President of MIT.
While at MIT, she served in several leadership positions, including as President of the Graduate Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Co-Chair of the MIT India Conference, Executive Board member of the Graduate Student Council, MIT Sandbox Fund Fellow mentoring and advising early stage technology startups, and was appointed to the MIT Presidential Advisory Cabinet, an advising body and sounding board to the President of MIT.
From scientist to builder.
From scientist to builder.
After graduating from MIT, she landed her dream job as a full-time systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She served as Principal Investigator on a JPL-MIT research program developing novel technology optimizing space system performance under uncertainty. She was Science Phase Lead for the $1.4B NASA-ISRO NISAR mission and contributed to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission as a Robotics Operations Systems Engineer. Today, as founder and CEO of Astren Labs, she brings that same discipline and rigor into building complex human and space systems that can operate and thrive under uncertainty far away from Earth, on the Moon, Mars and beyond.
After graduating from MIT, she landed her dream job as a full-time systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She served as Principal Investigator on a JPL-MIT research program developing novel technology optimizing space system performance under uncertainty. She was Science Phase Lead for the $1.4B NASA-ISRO NISAR mission and contributed to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission as a Robotics Operations Systems Engineer. Today, as founder and CEO of Astren Labs, she brings that same discipline and rigor into building complex human and space systems that can operate and thrive under uncertainty far away from Earth, on the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Beyond the résumé.
Beyond the résumé.
Akshata is unapologetically curious about the world and everything she has yet to understand: space, science, technology, travel, philosophy. Difficult questions and ideas that make her stop, think and explore deeper. Building a space system can teach her something about leadership. A scientific experiment can change how she thinks about entrepreneurship.
Akshata is unapologetically curious about the world and everything she has yet to understand: space, science, technology, travel, philosophy. Difficult questions and ideas that make her stop, think and explore deeper. Building a space system can teach her something about leadership. A scientific experiment can change how she thinks about entrepreneurship.
The recognition vs. the reality.
The recognition vs. the reality.
The institutions, missions and successes are often highlighted. Equally important are the failed experiments, the unexpected obstacles, and the decisions made without complete information. That’s where most of the real learning happens, although most of it does not make the résumé.
The institutions, missions and successes are often highlighted. Equally important are the failed experiments, the unexpected obstacles, and the decisions made without complete information. That’s where most of the real learning happens, although most of it does not make the résumé.
A new perspective on human ambition and capability.
A new perspective on human ambition and capability.
Akshata enjoys mentoring founders and leaders, and speaking to Fortune 500 companies, delivering keynotes and workshops to large audiences, drawing on her experience from space missions, scientific research, engineering, and years spent building systems where failure is never an option and uncertainty is part of the environment. She brings audiences stories from extraordinary technical challenges alongside ideas that can change how people think about ambition, exploration, decision making, and what they are capable of accomplishing. She speaks with executives, founders, technology companies, scientific organizations, universities, research institutions, global conferences, commencements, and leadership teams.
Akshata enjoys mentoring founders and leaders, and speaking to Fortune 500 companies, delivering keynotes and workshops to large audiences, drawing on her experience from space missions, scientific research, engineering, and years spent building systems where failure is never an option and uncertainty is part of the environment. She brings audiences stories from extraordinary technical challenges alongside ideas that can change how people think about ambition, exploration, decision making, and what they are capable of accomplishing. She speaks with executives, founders, technology companies, scientific organizations, universities, research institutions, global conferences, commencements, and leadership teams.
PUBLICATIONS
Peer-reviewed research is available on Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and in the MIT thesis archive.
Peer-reviewed research is available on Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and in the MIT thesis archive.
Curious what she’s thinking about frontier technology and entrepreneurship?
Curious what she’s thinking about frontier technology and entrepreneurship?
UNAPOLOGETICALLY CURIOUS
Ideas worth following.
Ideas worth following.
A place for science, technology, exploration, entrepreneurship, discovery, and the ideas expanding our understanding of what is possible.
A place for science, technology, exploration, entrepreneurship, discovery, and the ideas expanding our understanding of what is possible.
Unapologetically Curious brings together discoveries, technologies, stories, research, books, and ideas worth a deeper look.
Unapologetically Curious brings together discoveries, technologies, stories, research, books, and ideas worth a deeper look.
INSIDE
Science, technology, exploration, and discovery.
Science, technology, exploration, and discovery.
Ideas from the people, technologies, missions, and discoveries expanding the boundaries of human knowledge.
Ideas from the people, technologies, missions, and discoveries expanding the boundaries of human knowledge.
SCIENCE
TECHNOLOGY
EXPLORATION
DISCOVERY
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
HUMAN CAPABILITY