Phase Four Team Spotlight

As the Phase Four family grows, we’re seeing the benefits of bringing in bright new talent to work with our ‘old timers’.? As we evolve as a company and enter our high growth stage, it’s always good to take a beat and check in with our team to see how they view Phase Four’s evolution.

Today we’re featuring two members of our team: Austin Prater and Pavan Narsai.? Austin is Phase Four’s Lead Ground Support Equipment Engineer while Pavan recently joined as our Director of Engineering.

Questions

P4: Austin, you’ve been at Phase Four for over five years, which is quite a while in startup years! What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen here over that time?

Austin Prater: The most stark contrast between today v. 2017 is just how much our technology, and the capability of our team, has matured and evolved. 5 years ago we were in a small facility trying to validate proof-of-concept thruster prototypes. Today, we have consistent customers, 6x units on orbit with more on the way, we're iterating our core technology in a commercial form-factor, and we have multiple Advanced Development programs. As our technology has grown, so has the strength and skill set of the Phase Four team -- it's been a joy to be along for the ride.

P4: Pavan, you recently joined the team.? What got you interested in joining Phase Four?

Pavan Narsai: I think everyone would answer with something along the lines of working on challenging problems or unique solutions.? However, at Phase Four, this truly is the case.? I don't think I know of too many propulsion systems that can operate on many propellant choices, such as water and xenon.? When I visited, I instantly got the impression that Phase Four was also "doing it right".? It's hard to put into words, but the most clear evidence of this is the fact that Phase Four has hardware in space, and it's really exciting to get data back from our engines.

P4:? Do you have a day/week/month that stands out to you as the most memorable time at P4?

AP: For me, it would have to be the first time that we went out to Cape Canaveral to support pre-launch Maxwell fueling, for a customer's mission. That moment -- followed by a successful launch -- culminated nearly 3 years of blood, sweat, tears, and La Croix from our team. Success on-orbit was a major accomplishment for everyone involved.

P4:? What has surprised you about the company or the team since you joined?

PN: I completely missed most of this during the interview process, but it's the people!? The people here are incredibly talented and knowledgeable.? I've never had the opportunity to work with such talented and knowledgeable teammates with such diverse skill sets.? I guess the talent here really shows when you consider the team size to the number of engines we have in space or are slotted to go up.

P4:? When someone asks you what you do at Phase Four, how do you typically respond?

AP: AP: Because our team is small and fast-moving, everyone at Phase Four wears many proverbial hats. My main responsibilities involve supporting the development and testing of flight-hardware; however, something that I enjoy about this job is that day-to-day I may find myself doing a wide variety of tasks. From designing flight-hardware to conducting environmental testing, or from writing code to machining parts; there is no shortage of new skills to be learned.

P4:? Where do you see Phase Four in two years?

PN: I, along with the team, have grand visions for Phase Four.? Along with the obvious, such as even further reduced lead times, higher throughput, an awesome work culture, and even better products, I expect to see Phase Four having flown engines utilizing interesting propellant choices outside of what we consider traditional.? I also hope to see our customers taking advantage of some of the features (that are yet to be announced) of our engines that no other technology can currently provide.

Want to be part of one of the brightest teams in all of New Space?? Check out our current openings here.