Jagriti Luitel is an undergraduate student at the University of New Brunswick, Canada, where she studies satellite engineering. Jagriti volunteered with Aurelia’s 2024 Horizon cohort, and has continued her involvement with Aurelia through an independent research project.
I have always wanted to become an astronaut but being born in Nepal, the aerospace industry was never accessible to me. Years later, after immigrating to Canada with my family in late 2017, that changed. Aurelia’s core vision of making space accessible for everyone, using space for the benefit of earth, shifting focus from mere survival to thriving and deploying a multidisciplinary approach for low earth orbit space civilization, captured my imagination and completely drew me in.
I completed a zero gravity flight with Aurelia’s 2024 Horizon cohort. My project was wearing a custom-made piece by a space Fashion designer Deborah Won through her new company Pisces Rising. I represented Nepal’s national flower, rhododendrons, on the flight.
My project with Aurelia this summer is an exploration of the potential application of Aurelia’s current space architecture advancements for post-earthquake relief on Earth. It is a socio-technological space policy research project, inspired by my experience with the 7.8 magnitude 2015 Nepal earthquake. My favorite moment was a personal tour of Aurelia's office in Boston. As a remote intern from Canada, it was invaluable to see in person how dedicated everyone is to the organization's mission and vision.
My career goal is to become an interdisciplinary leader in aerospace that focuses on social innovation. My project at Aurelia has definitely propelled this goal, and I hope it will take me to space someday.