From Student Clubs to Space Systems: Harrison Verrios
Harrison Verrios explains how joining student-led engineering teams and mastering programming can launch a career in Australia’s rapidly growing space startup sector. He highlights how university student clubs, such as the Monash Nova Rover team, provide the essential engineering teamwork and networking skills needed to transition into a professional space career.
[00:00:26] Harrison believes now is the perfect time to enter the Australian space industry. With many new startups building advanced technology, there is a unique opportunity to create things for the first time in Australia. Harrison combined his two hobbies—astrophysics and programming—into a double degree in Science and IT to build his pathway into the sector.
The Monash Nova Rover Experience
[00:01:49] During his time at Monash University, Harrison joined the Nova Rover team, a student-led club that builds Mars rover analogs for international competitions. In 2019, the team traveled to Utah, USA, to compete against 30 universities from around the world. Their rover had to navigate remotely via camera feed, use a robotic arm to manipulate objects, and autonomously reach specific waypoints.
[00:02:54] The student-built rover was a massive undertaking, costing roughly $30,000 to prototype. Harrison describes the experience as the “full engineering lifecycle,” where students manage their own leadership hierarchies, weekly planning, and technical milestones without professor oversight. This hands-on environment directly emulates how professional engineering teams operate in the real world.
Digital Twins: Testing Before Launch
[00:06:14] Today, Harrison works at Nominal Systems building digital twin satellite software. This technology allows companies to test their entire satellite system in a virtual environment before a single piece of hardware is launched into orbit. This is critical because over 30% of spacecraft fail on their first attempt due to software configuration errors or unknown orbital issues.
[00:07:07] By playing with different satellite configurations in a safe, simulated world, companies can optimize their results and save millions of dollars. Harrison compares this work to “advanced Minecraft,” where different digital “chunks” and systems must move and interact perfectly to ensure mission success.
Advice for Students: Go Beyond the Degree
[00:08:12] Harrison offers two primary pieces of advice for high school and university students:
- Learn to Program: Programming is becoming relevant in every industry, not just space. Getting ahead of the curve in high school provides a vital foundation for any STEM path.
- Join a Club: A degree is earned through assignments, but a career is built through extracurriculars. Joining student teams and clubs is where you gain experience with networking, teamwork, and professional responsibility.
[00:09:18] “At the end of the day, you’re going to get a degree with the assignments that you do,” Harrison notes, “but really the experience you get from joining student teams and clubs is where you understand what is really out there.”
Home » Articles »
