“Don’t be afraid to dream big” is an advice given to those who are chasing their dreams by those who are living their dreams. In this third installment of mu Space Sit Downs, we interview Phurit Pookayaporn, also known as Ern, mu Space Corp’s Lead Engineer and a member of the mu Space satellite team. In this edition, Ern discusses the pathway he took to land his dream job as an aerospace engineer and how engineering can contribute to unlocking the potential of satellites and the industry as a whole.
- How did your journey at mu Space begin?
The vision for the aerospace industry matches that of mine. mu Space is also dynamic in responding to needs and requirements, which involve engineers in different kinds of systems. This allows the team to see the applicable areas of one field to the other. When I first joined mu Space, I didn’t even start with the satellite development project. mu Space already has had multiple projects and activities in the space ecosystem, which turned the company to in-house development after I joined.
2. When did you commit your career path to engineering?
I completed my aerospace degree at Chulalongkorn University with a belief that this industry was going to be a significant part of the future of technology, especially due to its frequent utilization in daily life. I noticed a lack of opportunities regarding aerospace engineering in Thailand, with most being civil engineering jobs like the development of real estates. There are multiple technology products and services Thailand will need to progress toward, which the space industry will boost the learning curves since it requires higher standard of reliability, safety, and quality.
3. How does engineering in the aerospace industry differ from other forms of engineering?
Unlike the development and engineering of assets here on Earth, all the qualities of the space asset must be so sure because maintenance is almost impossible or unviable. The only approach to sending something to space is still through rocket, which subject payloads to extreme environments adding with the space environment. Aerospace engineering also involves high safety because rockets have very high potential and can destructively impact many people and assets along the flight path. With all these factors, aerospace engineers are usually required to use cutting edge technology, all-round expertise, and long-term commitment to be successful.
4. How do you see the future of the aerospace industry, especially in terms of satellites, their paramount importance to everyday life and their potential in the future?
Globally, we will need more satellites and more advanced satellites in the future for Earth applications. We will also need additional artificial satellites for human to operate elsewhere from Earth. We can use satellite technology to help communication, navigation, and Earth observation even better from todays like direct-to-device communication, unconventional satellite radio navigation, and remote sensing for sustainability like GHG monitoring.
In Thailand, we currently have sent not more than 10 satellites and most of them are neither domestically made nor technologically advanced (mostly capacity building). With the GDP Thailand has, we can build and send another 10 satellites in the next 20 years including communication, navigation, and Earth observation. It will be up to the capability and demand to create such acceptable supply.
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