The Overview — Initiative
Fueling the next generation of aerospace engineers
Initiative
The readiness to take on bold or challenging tasks with drive and resourcefulness to overcome obstacles
Welcome back to The Overview! This week, we’ve got a thrilling lineup of aerospace news and an exclusive interview with a leader shaping the future of flight and higher education.
🎙️ Sit down with Professor Juan Alonso, Chair of the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Stanford University. From his journey as an international student at MIT to leading one of the world’s top aerospace programs, Professor Alonso shares invaluable insights on education, career growth, and the future of aerospace engineering.
⛏️ Asteroid mining is on the verge of becoming a reality! Astroforge, a California-based company, takes a bold step toward extracting rare and valuable metals from asteroids. With their upcoming space mission Odin launching today or tomorrow, Astroforge is set to become the first private company to launch a dedicated deep-space mission—going beyond the Moon not just as a payload, but as the first commercial venture to explore an asteroid for future mining operations!
👥 Personal Experiences
This week on The Overview podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Professor Juan Alonso, Stanford’s Chair of the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. A distinguished professor with an array of diverse experiences—including a stint at NASA Headquarters and starting his own company—he shared valuable insights on:
🧑🎓 His journey and skills for success as an international transfer student at MIT, a graduate student at Princeton, and landing his first professorship at Stanford
📝 His advice for engineering students, including what he looks for when admitting students to the department and what mindset applicants should have when applying to top programs
🛩️ His vision for the department and aerospace engineering over the next 5-10 years, and the three pillars of aerospace he sees the department pursuing during that time
The discussion centered around students and developing engineers, so if you’re an aspiring aerospace engineer you won’t want to miss it! Watch the full episode below or find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
🚀 Aerospace News
From new steps in eVTOL aviation to two major NASA science missions (SphereX and PULSE) launching this week, there’s a lot to cover with recent aerospace news. But let’s talk about a brand new type of mission in the commercial space sector: asteroid mining!
Space Mining Takes its First Steps
Source: New York Times
For decades, asteroid mining has been a dream. There are asteroids in our solar system that are classified as M-type, meaning they are rich in metals like iron, nickel, and even rare metals like platinum. Extracting these materials could revolutionize in-space manufacturing or even provide valuable resources for use back on Earth.
Now, that dream is turning into reality. Astroforge, a company based in Huntington Beach, California, is going to be the first to test this concept out. A few months ago, they launched a satellite called Brokkr-R to low-earth orbit to test some of their mining technologies, but the mission was unsuccessful. With lessons learned, they are now taking the next step with their deep-space mission Odin, which aims to survey an asteroid called 2022 OB5 to see if it has a useful quantity of metals. If this mission returns positive results, then their next mission: Vestri, will aim to land on the asteroid and extract these metals!
Odin is launching today or tomorrow, along with Intuitive Machines’ second lunar lander IM-2 (which we have written about before!)
By being the first company to realistically attempt this, Astroforge will also be the first commercial company to attempt a deep space mission beyond the moon! All prior deep space missions have been by major space agencies such as NASA, ESA, or ROSCOSMOS. So regardless of outcome, this is an exciting endeavor. Let’s hope Odin can make it past the moon and go on to see some shiny metals!
💬 Quote of the Week
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
— Lao Tzu
Thanks for joining us for The Overview—The Initiative edition. We hope this issue inspires you to take bold first steps, seize opportunities, and embrace the challenges ahead.
Enjoyed this edition? Share The Overview with a friend or colleague who’s passionate about aerospace! We’d love to hear about your daring first steps—feel free to reach out at admin@theoverview.org with any feedback or requests for future topics!
Stellar vibes,
Tagg, Anshuk, Maggie, Isaac