Venkat Daita: An Unconventional Path to Space and Space Happy Hour

Venkat Daita proves that you don’t have to major in mechanical engineering to attain major feats in rocket engineering. Although he majored in bioengineering, Daita helped his University of Pittsburgh team place 24th out of 144 teams at the International Rocket Engineering Competition, and built his own rocket that flew to 2500 feet. Today, he leads the Space Happy Hour DC chapter and coordinates outreach with Space and Satellite Professionals International. 

 

What motivated you to enter the space industry? 

As a bioengineering major, I’m interested in engineering solutions that interface with humans and found an incredible passion for developing these systems for astronauts. Now I’m focusing on growing my skills in aerospace engineering to eventually combine the two when I enter the workforce.

 

Tell us about Space Happy Hour and your experience with it. 

Space Happy Hour (SHH) is a nonprofit networking organization that aims to bring space professionals and enthusiasts together. We provide the opportunity to chat with professionals in a low-stress, casual environment. I started with SHH by a friend connecting me with Craig Baerwaldt, the organizer. We had a great chat, kicked off our first event a couple months afterwards, and have been going strong ever since!

 

What’s the best conversation/connection you’ve made with Space Happy Hour?

One of the best conversations I had at SHH was a Blue Origin astronaut attending one of our

collaboration events! It was such a cool opportunity to talk to him and pick his brain on what his

experience was like, how he felt in that moment, and the journey to get to where he did.

 

What is one thing you wish more people knew about in the space industry? 

It’s so much more diverse than at first glance! At first you see the impressive engineering

technology at the launchpad, but there are so many people in so many fields that come together to make it a reality. Business development managers and analysts on the customer/cost side, space policy advisors for regulations approval, healthcare professionals for crew research, and so many more all contribute. And we all have a huge passion for space, so if you share that, then we’d love for you to join this industry!

 

What gets you the most excited for the future of space? 

I think the extent to advancements and capabilities that we’re seeing in this past decade is

something that truly excites me for the future. We’re in an amazing time where the technologies are being developed and launched and believe that we’ll continue to see even more incredible feats of science and engineering in the next decade and beyond.