This summer, we were proud to be joined by 5 impressive college interns who made meaningful contributions to multiple departments including Systems Engineering, Product Development, and Information Security and IT over the course of 3 months.
We are thrilled to share a piece of each intern’s experience from their time at Aireon this summer!
Emilia Lombardi
My name is Emilia Lombardi, and I am a systems engineering intern working under Peter Richards on the Systems Engineering team. I’m entering my senior year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) studying aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering. Over this past summer at Aireon, I have learned so many different things, both technical and non-technical. I gained exposure to topics I had never even heard of, and feel this knowledge is helping me grow as a student, an engineer, and a person.
I didn’t really know what to expect when starting this role but was pleasantly surprised. Having worked on three different projects in different areas, I got a glimpse at many aspects of systems engineering throughout the summer. Learning about writing test scripts, modeling data flows in a system, and linking failure modes to design requirements have allowed me to understand the ins and outs of Aireon’s system. Along the way, I also picked up new knowledge about the aviation industry and why ADS-B data is so crucial in advancing modern day flight safety.
I am very grateful that the other interns and I have had the opportunity to attend learning and development sessions with Iridium. Notably, we got some very useful advice from Aireon CEO Don Thoma and Iridium CEO Matt Desch about leadership, networking, and career planning. These sessions were a great opportunity to learn about both Aireon and Iridium as companies, as well as gain some helpful tips and tricks as we get ready to enter the workforce. Outside the office, some of the highlights of the summer included outings at Topgolf, Perch Putt, and an escape room. These were awesome opportunities to connect with people outside my immediate team and bond with the other interns.
My time at Aireon has been nothing short of exciting, engaging, and memorable. Getting the opportunity to work on interesting projects, paired with the welcoming company culture, gave me something to look forward to every day. Thanks to Aireon, I will walk away with improved problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills, and I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity!
Ayaan Ahmad
Returning as an intern this summer on the Infrastructure team, I can say that I have really enjoyed working with and learning from the people at Aireon. Whether I just pop by someone’s desk unannounced, or have a chat with them at lunch, everyone I have talked to shares a deep commitment towards this company’s mission, one that I also embrace.
Throughout my time at Aireon, I’ve tackled some truly challenging and rewarding tasks. Last summer, one of my favorite projects involved developing the API document for one of Aireon’s commercial products. And this summer, I was part of the team that presented that work directly to an Aireon customer, which was an invaluable and impactful, albeit nerve-wracking, experience. My understanding of Aireon from last summer has allowed me to delve into many other tasks this summer. For instance, I supported some development work on some forthcoming Aireon products.
However, most of my time has been spent understanding the Architecture around Aireon Data Ingress (ADI). This is a core part of Aireon’s infrastructure as this system is responsible for taking in data and sending it out to various other Aireon systems. Related to ADI, I’ve worked on two significant tasks: data deduplication and the architecture in support of features of AireonVECTOR.
It hasn’t been all work, though! We interns have been to multiple company-sponsored events like Top Golf and Escape Rooms. Even though I participated in these events last year, Aireon’s internship program truly gets better every year. The company and its people work hard towards a great goal, all while promoting a peaceful and productive office environment. I’m incredibly grateful to have experienced Aireon’s culture.
Violet Adar
Hi, I’m Violet! I’m currently pursuing my Master’s Degree in Engineering Management and Technology at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, building upon my background in Industrial Engineering. Technology has always fascinated me, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to land an internship as a Security Intern at Aireon this summer!
Right from the start, I was thrown into real-world projects, which was exactly what I was hoping for. My first task was to set up a basic alarm system for the Security Event Monitoring system, but it quickly turned into something even cooler when I started incorporating Large Language Models (LLM) to do the analysis, data enrichment, and perform “hunts” across 175 million events for problems. This allowed our systems not only to flag security issues but also to clearly explain them and suggest actionable fixes. The most exciting part was being part of a bigger secure AI agent project, turning Aireon’s vast internal resources — think PDFs, Word documents, even video content — into an easily searchable vector database. Now our AI can leverage something called Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to accurately answer complex questions using precise internal info, all while making sure sensitive data stays safely within Aireon. This hands-on experience gave me real appreciation for how AI can boost efficiency and support better decision-making.
But my internship wasn’t just about projects, there was so much more! We attended insightful sessions like an Iridium Satellite Network Operations Center (SNOC) tour and even got to join a “Ride Along” at the Network Operations Center to see how the Aireon Service Desk works in action. The Intern Learning & Development Sessions provided an amazing deep dive into what Aireon is all about. I especially loved the monthly Women’s Empowerment sessions, where I got to connect with inspiring women and hear their unique stories. And let’s not forget the fun parts — Topgolf, Perch Putt, happy hours, ice cream outings, and escape room adventures helped me build great relationships and fantastic memories with my fellow interns and colleagues.
One thing I absolutely loved about Aireon was its open and communicative culture. The leadership team, including the CEO and Executive Vice Presidents, were incredibly approachable. As interns, we even got the chance to chat directly with them, which really made us feel valued and empowered to contribute.
This internship at Aireon has truly been one of the best experiences I’ve had. It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone, deepened my passion for technology and security, and reinforced that Aireon is an incredible place to work and grow!
Rahul Rathnam
My name is Rahul, and I am a data engineer intern on the data engineering team. I am a rising senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), majoring in Information Technology and Web Science with a concentration in data science.
During my time at Aireon, I have had the opportunity to contribute to impactful projects alongside talented colleagues. These experiences have provided me with hands-on exposure to industry-leading technologies and valuable skills that will advance my career in data engineering and technology.
Beyond project work, the intern program included comprehensive learning and development sessions covering Aireon’s products and services, as well as essential professional skills such as networking and intrapreneurship. These sessions were instrumental in helping me integrate into the company culture while developing critical career competencies.
What I have valued most about my Aireon experience is the people and company culture. The organization fosters a welcoming and collaborative environment that made it easy to build meaningful professional relationships. The various social events, including activities like Perch Putt and Top Golf, further strengthened these connections and enhanced the overall internship experience.
My internship at Aireon has been invaluable in developing my problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and mentorship, and providing significant exposure to the aviation industry. I am grateful for this exceptional learning opportunity and the professional growth it has facilitated.
Austin Wysocki
My name is Austin, and I am the Test Automation intern on the Product Development team. I am a rising senior studying computer science at Virginia Tech and pursuing a Master’s Degree with a focus in AI and Machine Learning after graduation.
This summer, I worked with the Product Development team to automate manual processes and improve the efficiency of the product development process. I was able to learn a ton of different software tools and how to take advantage of different Python libraries.
Participating in meetings with the requirements team gave me valuable insight into the diverse teams and products at Aireon. It provided a clear understanding of the company’s structure, operations, and strategic goals. My team allowed me to be very involved in the development process and was very supportive of the projects I worked on. I have learned so much about the aviation industry and the interesting things that can be done in it.
I was also able to get hands-on experience testing deployments in real-time, which I found to be very intense but exciting. Attending Intern Learning and Development sessions and different intern events outside of the office built a bond between all the interns and made the workplace even more enjoyable!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Aireon Internship Program and am grateful for the new connections and relationships I built this Summer!
