Zenith Fellow Mentee, Class of 2025
Carleton University, Aerospace Engineering (Space Systems Design)
Mentor: Apeksha Budhkar

Declan has always been fascinated with space, ever since having those little glow-in-the-dark star stickers placed on the ceiling of his bedroom as a child. This keen interest led him to pursue a degree in the field, and landed him internships working at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters, working on the Arctic Observation Mission and later under Calian Advanced Technologies in Satellite Operations.

In 2023, after attending the Canadian Space Conference, he founded the first Astronomy Club at Carleton. The club allows him to share his passion for space with as many students as possible, garnering interest in advancements in space and the next steps in interplanetary exploration.

In 2024, he spent some time working on interplanetary spacecraft mission proposals for the European Space Agency, with the help of their Concurrent Design Facility. Coming back to Carleton after those experiences, he has been able to leverage the experience gained to introduce effective design boosters to the CUonOrbit (CubeSat Design Team) in the form of concurrent engineering sessions.

In the little time not spent on campus, Declan works as a flight instructor with the cadet program and makes very slow progress on writing a sci-fi book.

Looking to the future, Declan hopes to be able to contribute to future interplanetary spacecraft missions and hone his skills and experience in the discipline to make humanity a truly space-faring society.