Hundreds gathered at the Grimes Engineering Center on Friday for the Berkeley Space Symposium organized by the Berkeley undergraduate group NewSpace@Berkeley. The UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) sponsored the event, and SSL engineers, flight controllers and faculty were in attendance aiming to inspire the next generation.
Helen Vo and Brett Bonine, tabling at Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Lindy Elkins-Tanton, director of SSL, participating in a panel discussion at Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Abhishek Tripathi, director of mission operations at SSL, moderating a panel discussion at the Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Brett Bonine, mission operations lead at SSL, mentoring at Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Josh Forgione, aerospace engineer at SSL, mentoring at Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Kyle Delarno, student researcher at SSL, participating in speed mentoring at the Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Roberto Ortiz-Soto, aerospace engineer at SSL, mentoring at the Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Carolyn J. Chee, aerospace engineer at SSL, mentoring at the Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Chris Kemp, CEO of Astra Space Inc, speaking at the Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Chris Kemp, CEO of Astra Space Inc, speaking at the Berkeley Space Symposium 2025. 
Anuj Kakde, chief operating officer of NewSpace@Berkeley, speaking at the Berkeley Space Symposium 2025.
The event kicked off with speed mentoring sessions in the Diane Greene and Mendel Rosenblum Studio. Aerospace engineer Josh Forgione, thermal aerospace engineer Carolyn J. Chee, mission operations lead Brett Bonine and aerospace engineer Roberto Ortiz-Soto answered questions and related their experiences for several students in 8-minute sessions.
“I got to speak to people in industry and I could see myself doing what they do,” said Kyle Delarno, student researcher at SSL. “I even spoke to the CEO of Muon Space in the mentor sessions. Where else can you do that?”
Attendees then gathered at the Jarvis Auditorium where Anuj Kakde, Chief Operating Officer of NewSpace@Berkeley, introduced the keynote speaker Chris Kemp, CEO of Astra Space Inc, a launch systems company based in Alameda, CA. Kemp began his talk by praising space research conducted at UC Berkeley, adding that his favorite Berkeley mission is the forthcoming UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX), which is expected to launch in 2030 and will be managed by SSL.
A panel discussion featuring local leaders in space science and technology followed Kemp’s speech. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, director of SSL, joined Eugene Tu, director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, Al Tadros, chief technology officer of Redwire Space and Alex Drossler, director of mission design at Momentus Space. The lively discussion was moderated by Abhishek Tripathi, director of mission operations at SSL.
“The professionalism of the student organizers really impressed me,” said Elkins-Tanton. “The future of space exploration and engineering depends on such collaborations between industry, academia, and government, and the symposium is doing it right.”
A further talk was delivered by Jonny Dyer, chief executive officer of Muon Space, followed by a career fair and open networking on the first floor of the Grimes Engineering Center. Bonine, along with several other SSL employees, chatted with students and offered information on SSL internships and fellowships throughout the day. Dan Zevin, student engagement manager at SSL, estimates that some 80 undergraduates stopped by SSL’s table to learn about student opportunities at the lab.
Overall, the symposium was a huge success, with hundreds of students and dozens of industry and academic leaders attending. SSL is looking forward to participating again next year.