Dr. Susmita Mohanty (born 1971) is an Indian spaceship designer, serial space entrepreneur and a climate action advocate.[1] She is well known for her research on space related topics. She co-founded India's first private space start-up, Earth2Orbit in 2009.[2] She is the only space entrepreneur in the world to have started companies on three different continents in Asia, Europe and North America.[3] Susmita is one of the few people to have visited both the Arctic and Antarctica.[4]
Susmita Mohanty | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Susmita Mohanty in 2018 | |
| Born | 1971 Cuttack, Odisha, India |
| Alma mater | Gujarat University International Space University Lund Institute of Technology |
| Occupation(s) | Space entrepreneur, spaceship designer, activist |
| Known for | first space entrepreneur in the world to build three companies on three separate continents |
| Relatives | Nilamani Mohanty (father) |
Biography
editShe was born in Cuttack and was raised up in Ahmedabad. She was highly influenced to venture into space research by her father Nilamani Mohanty who was a former ISRO scientist.[5]
Career
editShe completed her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Gujarat University and master's degree in Industrial Design from the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. She also completed Masters in Space studies from the International Space University in Strasbourg.[6]
She co-founded Moonfront, an aerospace consulting firm based in San Francisco in 2001, which marked her entry into space entrepreneurship.[7] She also co-founded Liquifer System Group (LSG), an aerospace architecture and design firm in Vienna, Austria in 2004. She also served as one of the prominent members of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aerospace Architecture for over a period of ten years while she was residing in California. In 2005, she was conferred with the International Achievement Award for promoting international cooperation. She was included in the elite list of 25 Indians to Watch by the Financial Times magazine in 2012 and also featured on the front cover page of Fortune magazine in 2017.[8]
She was nominated to the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council for Space Technologies for a period of three consecutive years from 2016 to 2019.[2] She was included in the BBC's list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2019.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Dr. Susmita Mohanty – Creative Disturbance". Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ a b "The MOONWALKER | Dr. Susmita MOHANTY". www.themoonwalker.in. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Susmita Mohanty". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Dr. Susmita Mohanty – TOSB". 28 February 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Bureau, BW Online. "We Need To Think About Planetary ROI: Dr Susmita Mohanty". BW Businessworld. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Panda, Sushmita (16 October 2019). "Meet Susmita Mohanty, space designer who features in BBC's annual 100 most influential women". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Ghosh, Agamoni (20 September 2017). "India's Space Woman Started Her Journey Long Before the Industry Took Shape". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Susmita Mohanty - Keynote Speaker". London Speaker Bureau. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". 16 October 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.