Invigorating R&D of sustainable spaceplane propulsion

We interviewed Arash Piran who joined our engineering team last year.

Q: Could you tell me about your background?

I’m from Australia. I grew up initially in Sydney, then my family moved to the Gold Coast when I was 10 years old. I completed primary school, high school and my undergraduate degree on the Gold Coast.

Growing up I was either playing football, spending time with my neighbourhood friends or at school. I was very active, and really enjoyed playing sports.

When I entered high school, it didn’t take long before I decided to pursue a career in engineering. I was always curious about how things worked and why they worked; I wanted to have the skills necessary to bring ideas to life.

I chose to study mechanical engineering at Griffith University after high school. I had a lot of motivation, so for the four years that I was at Griffith University I was actively volunteering, and trying to gain experience in as many real-world engineering projects as I could manage in parallel with my studies. I was always looking for opportunities to grow my mind and eventually that led me to consider studying abroad. In my third year, I applied to research and write my thesis at Gifu University and was accepted. I spent a semester there and then after graduating, I returned back to do my master’s. Since completing my master’s, I have been working in the Japanese aeronautical, and space sectors as an engineer.

Q: Have you been interested in space for a long time?

I’m very inspired by spacecraft and aircraft; I always hoped that one day I would have the opportunity to work on such vehicles. I’ve had an interest in space from a young age, but my journey to working in the space industry was not a direct path. 

I specialized in energy engineering with my bachelor’s thesis and master’s degree, specifically thermochemical conversion processes. I wanted to build expertise in fuel development and the properties of fuel resources so that I could find ways to maximize their utilization in a sustainable and efficient manner. 

When I was presented with the opportunity to work as a propulsion engineer, I thought that this would be the perfect career path for me to combine my interests in energy and aerospace.

Q: Why did you decide to study or work in Japan?

I’ve always had the impression that Japan was among the top countries in the world for the design and production of innovative, high quality, and reliable products. I knew that if I wanted to be an influential engineer that I would need to expand my problem-solving skills by learning about engineering from different cultural perspectives. I decided that Japan would be a great place to start.

Q: What do you expect from the Japanese space industry?

There is a growing trend in Japan for the development of privately owned and funded space technologies. The privatization of the space industry is a substantial step toward making space more accessible to everyone in the future. In combination with the research being conducted on reusable launch vehicles, new propulsions systems, advanced composite materials and other key aerospace technologies, Japan is playing an important role to facilitate cutting-edge, sustainable and economical solutions.

Q: What are your future goals at SPACE WALKER and the space industry in Japan?

International collaboration is a very important aspect of the space industry. I hope to support collaboration between Japan, Australia, and other nations to foster the growth of advanced technologies. SPACE WALKER is pushing boundaries in the space industry; there is no blueprint for developing reusable suborbital spaceplanes, so the company is at the edge of this technology. Programs like this are an incubation for innovation and new technological beginnings, so I am exactly where I want to be as an engineer. I hope to contribute as much as possible to solve the engineering problems in this field and the wider aerospace sector.

Author: Maxy