Ensure Our Industry’s Future Through Mentorship
Are you interested in fostering the next generation of talent for the space & satellite industry? One of the major ways you can contribute to the future of our industry is to serve as an SSPI Mentor. SSPI Mentors are working professionals willing to give time to building a relationship with an undergraduate or graduate student and offer advice on anything from engineering to starting a career. SSPI works with a range of space-focused student organizations to help students understand the exciting challenges and career opportunities in commercial space and satellite.
SSPI Mentors can work with a variety of SSPI partners. Some of your options include:
SSPI is proud to partner with the Space Generation Advisory Council (spacegeneration.org) on a structured remote mentoring program for individual students and young working professionals! Applications are open for SGAC Mentors at: spacegeneration.org/mentor-application. Typical mentoring relationships involve weekly, biweekly or monthly online meetings and last from 3 to 6 months. Learn more about SGAC’s mentorship program at spacegeneration.org/mentoring.
SSPI’s women’s group, Women in Space Engagement, launched a mentoring program for women in the industry in 2020. Participation is limited to women who are SSPI members either individually or through their employers. SSPI-WISE’s Mentorship program enables women starting out, or at a crossroads in their careers, to take advantage of the experiences of pioneering women already established in the exciting but historically male-dominated satellite and space industry. For more information, see the SSPI-WISE Mentorship page.
The Mid-Atlantic chapter of SSPI in the Washington DC metro area provides an annual mentoring program focused on local students and young professionals. The program provides an opportunity for professionals and students to engage in an in-person mentoring relationship for career guidance, knowledge sharing, skills building, specific problem solving or just a collegial sounding board. This annual program starts every fall but you can register at any time. For more information, see the chapter page.
SSPI hosts annual research and satellite design competitions with the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Student teams learn space and satellite fundamentals while applying them to solving a problem. Competition topics have included designing a satellite network for Mars exploration and a robotic space tug in Earth orbit, making recommendations on space debris and in-space manufacturing, and developing nanosatellite payloads. See SSPI’s Competitions pages for more information. Mentors connect with a team through online conferencing and email for a period of 3-5 months. The average time commitment is between 4 and 8 hours per month. To register your interest in being a Competition mentor, fill out this form.
Know a Mentor Who’s Already Doing Great Work in the Industry?
On October 21 at the Future Leaders Celebration in Silicon Valley, SSPI will honor its seventh annual cohort of the “20 Under 35” young space and satellite professionals to watch in the years ahead. But many of these future leaders of the industry owe part of their success to the mentors and colleagues who guided them along the way. Every year at the Celebration, SSPI honors these unsung heroes by presenting the Mentor Award to a satellite executive who has fostered young talent, both within his or her organization and throughout the industry.
A Mentor of the Year:
- Has provided critical advice and support to newer members of the industry
- Has volunteered time and energy outside of their normal responsibilities to ensure growth and success for those just starting out
- Has invested in the industry’s future through individual mentorship and larger leadership programs or events
Want to learn more about past SSPI Mentors of the Year? Visit www.sspi.org/cpages/promise-mentor-awards for more information and profiles.
Nominations
Nominations are currently open for the 2024 Mentor of the Year! You can submit your nomination via an online form or download a PDF nomination form and return it by email. Nominations are due by July 29, 2024.
Header photo by ThisIsEngineering on Unsplash