Internships @ Neumann Space - Leon Phillips

We have bid farewell to our summer interns for the 2023-24 season with a short interview. Below, Leon Phillips , an Aerospace Engineering student, discusses how he found and applied for his internship and scholarship, and how his experience at Neumann Space will help him become a well-rounded engineer.

Hi Leon - can you tell us about your studies and where you are studying?

In 2024, I am entering my final year of a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering (Honours) with minors in Mathematics and Computational Engineering out of 澳大利亚蒙纳士大学 . Having grown up just an hour and a half south of Adelaide in Victor Harbor, I decided to move interstate to Melbourne to begin pursuing my dream of working within the Space Industry. I returned to Adelaide to work at Neumann Space as an Engineering intern and have loved every second that I have spent here.

Have you aways been interested in Space?

Growing up, I have always been a bit of a space nerd. It may sound cliché, but from listening/reading Neil DeGrasse Tyson talk astrophysics, to watching many live streams of Space X’s various Falcon launches, Space has always been an area I have been fascinated in. So, the opportunity to contribute to the revolutionary Neumann Drive at Neumann Space was one which I had to leap on.

How did you apply for the internship and the ATSF internship prize?

In mid-2023, I emailed Herve ASTIER , Neumann Space CEO, enquiring with an expression of interest for an internship position. From there, he put me in contact with Andrew Warr , Director of Engineering, before I flew to Adelaide for an interview. I concurrently applied for The Andy Thomas Space Foundation ’s 2023 Earth Program Undergraduate Internship Prize, and from there I was successful and began my internship in early December.

What was your role at Neumann Space?

At Neumann Space, my position largely entailed developing, writing, and performing rigorous test campaigns for several of the Neumann Drive systems. This process ensured that the systems performed as expected and met the requirements which were initially agreed upon. Where needed, it also involved working with various Engineers to iterate on the system’s design. Further, I also conducted various other tasks which included system assembly, integration, and maintenance.

How was your time with us and are there any words of wisdom you would like to share for future interns?

Overall, my experience at Neumann Space has been an incredibly positive one. I have enjoyed being part of a small start-up company like Neumann Space for a number of reasons. The ability to be able to make a relatively large contribution to the project development as an intern, the opportunity to work on a range of areas under different Engineers, and the rate at which information travels throughout the company, all helped me have a very enjoyable time over the last few months. Let alone the incredibly friendly, and dedicated team that forms Neumann Space, where I always felt like I could ask as many questions as I wanted.

A quick tip for future interns would be to never be afraid to try new things. As someone with an Aerospace Engineering background, I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed learning and developing the software as part of my internship. I believe this new skill has then allowed me to become a more well-rounded Engineer in my ability to understand systems from a high-level. So, definitely don’t be afraid to jump into the deep end!

To apply for an internship at Neumann Space, please send your CV and Cover letter to [email protected].

All candidates must be eligible for an Australian Government security clearance.