Member Spotlight – Connor McNeill

Meet Connor McNeill, he is the deputy systems lead for Ex-Alta 3 and a third year mechanical engineering student. As the Ex-Alta 3 deputy systems lead, his duties are to oversee the design, integration, and testing of all our subsystems, manage requirements, coordinate team efforts, mitigate risks, ensure regulatory compliance, and support mission planning and operations to ensure a successful satellite mission. 

Driven by his passion for aerospace technology and aspirations to one day become an astronaut, he joined AlbertaSat in September of 2022. In his time here he’s worked on satellite systems development, zero gravity experiments, project management, and much more. Here’s how he describes his experience on the team, “AlbertaSat has been an incredible journey for me. I am deeply passionate about the work we do, and the friendships I’ve formed are invaluable; these are people I likely would never have met if not for this club. Joining the team when I did has been incredibly fortunate for me. Always give your best effort in everything you’re passionate about and you’ll do great things.” Once he graduates Connor will use his experience in AlbertaSat to join the Royal Canadian Air Force and work towards becoming an astronaut. 

Connor inspires others to join AlbertaSat and encourages them to be active participants in the group. He suggests new members get involved as much as they can while making connections with the group and industry. Connor has been a part of the Rocketry club, VP ext for MechE club, and LaunchCanada, however he finds his time in AlbertaSat to be the most exciting, as he especially enjoys the technical work. Outside of AlbertaSat he has numerous hobbies such as rock climbing, working towards his Private Pilot Licence (PPL), and spending quality time with his dog.