SpaceX recruits Concordia undergrad for his dream internship

Astronautics company, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, has recruited Concordia undergrad Simon Randy for an internship this fall.

“Since high school, my one and only goal has been getting to work for this company,” Randy says. “It’s the most exciting company I can think of in the engineering domain, and I can’t wait to join in and contribute to their mission.”

The mechanical engineering student will be interning on the Starship Components Research and Development Manufacturing team. They perform design reviews to assess manufacturing ability and provide advice on speedier or more cost-effective manufacturing.

In 2018, Randy watched the maiden launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket carry Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster into space. It was the event that inspired him to study engineering and get into the space industry.

Motivated to get all the practical experience he could, Randy selected the hands-on Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Dawson College for his CEGEP degree, where he learned machining, welding, computer-aided design (CAD) and more.

He then went on to take an internship at the electric vehicle startup Taiga Motors where he learned about manufacturing EV watercraft and snowmobiles.

More recently, Randy interned in Germany at Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) — often colloquially referred to as the SpaceX of Europe. Throughout his time at RFA, Randy had the opportunity to work on full-scale rocket engines and help assemble them for their upcoming first flight. In a seemingly cosmic coincidence, his travels also ended up connecting him with his future boss at SpaceX.

“On my way back from Germany, I bumped into this guy at one of the train stations. I was wearing a SpaceX shirt and he stopped me and said, ‘Hey, you work for SpaceX?’” Randy recounts.

“I said, ‘No, but I just came back from an internship,’ and we started chatting and ended up sharing a coffee together at the train station. He’s the guy who ended up hiring me and will be my boss this fall!”

‘The only limit to your learning is how much time you’re willing to invest’

Randy also credits his work with Space Concordia for much of his success in landing this upcoming SpaceX internship. He says Concordia was his university of choice largely because of the renowned student group, which features Spacecraft, Rocketry, Robotics and Space Health divisions.

Now president of Space Concordia, as well as operations lead of its Rocketry Division, Randy highly encourages students interested in the space industry to join the club.

“The Space Concordia Rocketry Division is working on being the first student team to ever launch a liquid fuel rocket into space. We’re also working on the largest student-built rocket in the world,” Randy shares.

“Early in your degree, it can be hard to be well-rounded enough to be attractive to recruiters for your first internship. But when you join a club like Space Concordia, the only limit to your learning is how much time you’re willing to invest. It kind of accelerates the career of anyone who is on the team.”

Students interested in joining Space Concordia this fall can attend Space Day at 4TH Space on Tuesday, September 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They can also visit Space Concordia’s website or Instagram to learn more about other upcoming recruitment events, as well as the various divisions and projects.

“I’m very grateful for the Gina Cody School and all of the university’s support because they’ve been super critical to getting Space Concordia’s projects going,” Randy adds. “I’m a small piece in a huge machine and I’m just super lucky that I got to use that to my benefit to find a really good internship.”

Find out more about Space Concordia and the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Attend Space Concordia’s Space Day event at 4TH Space on Tuesday, September 3.