IKER AGUIRRE

Matthew Isakowitz Fellow, Class of 2024

University of Michigan, Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Host Company: SpaceX

Iker Aguirre is a Junior at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor studying Aerospace Engineering. He is a passionate supporter of the proliferation of space exploration, making it more equitable through rapid reusability and greater commercial availability. Iker has led several projects as a part of the Michigan Aeronautical Science Association (MASA), primarily focusing on rocket plumbing and pressurization systems for their Clementine liquid bi-propellant rocket. He also worked on the hot-fire testing campaign of Clementine’s RP-D2 engine, helping pave the way for Clementine’s launch in May 2023.

In the Aerospace Industry, his vision for the future of space flight has been shaped through several internship opportunities. Iker has worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center working on Thermal Runaway research for Lithium-ion batteries, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center as a Pathways Intern working on structural design and analysis for the Space Launch System’s Spacecraft and Payload Integration Element, and most recently worked with Relativity Space as a Propulsion Components Design intern.

Through his journey as an engineer and aspiring Astronaut, Iker aims to expand the access to space to as many people as possible. As a proud Mexican-American and strong believer in DEI, he has also helped start Latinos and Hispanics United in Aerospace (LUNA) to promote hispanic/latino representation in Aerospace at UofM. In his free-time, Iker enjoys reading science fiction, running, listening to foreign music, eating spicy food, looking at turbomachinery, visiting his family in Mexico, and training as a student pilot.

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