Redwire is investing in future generations of the aerospace workforce through partnerships with colleges, universities and fellowship programs, sponsoring student-led professional organizations, and providing hands-on experience through the Redwire internship program. Redwire interns work on a wide range of projects, from engineering to cybersecurity and business development. They work closely with project managers and company leadership for mentorship and guidance.
The most recent class of interns worked at Redwire locations across the country on innovative technologies both in-person and remotely. With fresh new ideas and passion for knowledge and exploration, these impressive students are ready to take their places in the aerospace industry when they graduate.
Olivia Epstein, a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, worked as an intern at the Redwire’s Goleta, California location. Olivia spent the summer working on design alternatives, tradeoffs and concept testing for Redwire’s deployable solutions. She appreciated that her coworkers were eager to answer her questions and go out of their way to help her. Through her internship, Olivia was able to connect with an esteemed professor at the University of Colorado Boulder Aerospace Department to explore potential future on-campus opportunities.
“At Redwire, I have learned to take initiative on my own work while balancing good communication and involvement from my coworkers,” said Epstein. “I found that it is important to be able to tackle things on your own, but it is crucial to also keep others up to date, so they can share their experience and thoughts. It can save you time, money, and otherwise avoidable headaches!”
Xuyang Chen, a Purdue University student, was a software engineering intern at Redwire’s Jacksonville location. During his internship, Xuyang had the opportunity to write flight code and work with Redwire’s robotics team.
Rylee Rollins is a student at Clemson University and worked remotely as a business development intern for Redwire’s national security space team. Rylee is involved with many groups at her university, including the Society of Women Engineers and the Clemson Makerspace Creative Inquiry, a research program where she creates and develops standard operating procedures for different machines within the space. During her internship, Rylee developed ideas for many initiatives, such as space debris and refueling and servicing systems in space. Rylee worked closely with Redwire’s Vice President of National Security Space, Juli Lawless, who mentored and challenged her to grow in her internship.
“My time working with the National Security Space team has shaped the path that I wish to pursue in the future,” said Rollins. “I was unsure on what I wanted to focus on in the aerospace community, but working with a supportive team has shown me how much I enjoy problem solving and interacting with a variety of people to find solutions to important problems. More than anything, Redwire has given me a team that I can always talk to in the future and will support me on the road to my degree.”
Keaton Viadro is a mechanical engineering student with a minor in aerospace at Santa Clara University. He worked as a flight hardware intern at Redwire’s Goleta location.
While at Redwire, Keaton got hands-on experience working with flight hardware and got the opportunity to learn from experienced engineers who have been working in the industry for decades. He saw this as a chance to learn and work with others to build the next generation of engineering solutions in space.
“Working in the space industry has always been of interest to me as well as much of my time at school has focused on mechanical design and manufacturing engineering,” said Viadro. “I have been following advancements in space technology since I became interested in engineering, so when the opportunity to come work and learn more at Redwire, a company that I had heard very little about but seemed to check all the boxes that I was searching for, I jumped at the possibility to come work here and get more experience in this industry.”
Eli Norris, a Texas A & M University student, was a materials science engineering intern with Rediwre’s in-space manufacturing and operations team in Jacksonville, Florida. He worked on the Archinaut One, or OSAM-2, program. Redwire is the the prime contractor for NASA’s OSAM-2 mission, which will demonstrate the ability to efficiently and autonomously manufacture and assemble hardware, components, and tools in space. Learn more about his experience via LinkedIn.
Madeline Oelrich is a student at Purdue University and worked as a remote business development intern for Redwire. During her internship, she researched power models for spacecraft components, wrote technical documents and developed valuable templates to be used by the team for years to come. Madeline was interested in aerospace engineering and wanted to learn about the space industry and current space initiatives before she graduates next year.
“I learned so much about the space industry this summer, from getting a glimpse into the present state of the industry and goals for the coming years to researching the spaceflight modeling and simulation products that are on the market,” said Oelrich. “My perspective on the industry has been enriched with knowledge of real products and missions and I think this will be helpful for me as I enter the workforce.”
Upcoming Redwire Internship Opportunities
Redwire is dedicated to providing an enriching, unique experience that enables interns with different backgrounds and experiences to develop skills, clarify career goals and inspire their extracurricular activities. As Redwire continues to grow, there will be expanded internship opportunities across the company’s business units.
If you are interested in interning at Redwire, you can explore and apply directly for positions on the Redwire website. You can also apply to several fellowship programs such as the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship or the Zed Factor Fellowship, which Redwire partners with.
