Planetary Perspectives – Yoga Barrathwaj Raman Mohan
Yoga Barrathwaj Raman Mohan is part of Europlanet’s Industry Team and works for Blue Skies Space Ltd in the UK. In this edition of Planetary Perspectives, he tells us about his work, background and inspirations.
Read article in the fully formatted PDF of the Europlanet Magazine.
How have you reached your current job position?
I work on communications and business operations in my role. Working in a startup usually means doing a range of activities as and when needed. I’m generally responsible for producing content such as webpages, brochures and videos, and making sure they are communicated to the community through different means. I studied physics and chemistry in high school and often watched Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rockets fly over my hometown. That inspired me to pursue a career in space. I wanted to study astrophysics but, due to various reasons, I ended up studying engineering instead. Soon, I realised that it wasn’t what I wanted, so I quit the course and moved to London to study business. Before graduation, I came across a business-oriented internship at a space startup and, as that would be the best of both worlds for me, I applied for it. I did my internship part-time during my final year of university and then moved into a full-time role after graduation.
Who or what are your inspirations?
I had some great teachers at school who made sure we enjoyed what we were studying. This included extracurricular activities such as visits to ISRO’s launch site and visiting industrial manufacturers. To stand on the historic pads where missions to the Moon and Mars were launched was amazing, and that reinforced my desire to do something in space. More recently, the evolution of the space industry to fit in new roles that didn’t exist 5-10 years ago gave me confidence that I can do something meaningful and impactful, even if I am not doing science or engineering.
What’s it like working for a SME?
Startups are dynamic and it’s a lot of fun trying to get things done while learning about new areas. The work we are doing is to enable scientists to do more research and get access to the data they need. If I ended up pursuing astrophysics, I would have loved to be part of something like this. So being on the other side means I’m able to support researchers advance our understanding of the Universe.
What has your role been within the Europlanet Industry team?
I support the Industry Officer to execute events, write reports and find opportunities for Europlanet to work with the industry. I’ve helped organise
industry sessions at EPSC and ERIM, and I attended the Space Tech Expo in Germany last year to represent the industry team. I write reports on our activities and I am currently working on expanding the Europlanet Industry Database.
What advice would you give people considering a career in the space industry?
Dip your toes! Some of the biggest reasons to not make a career change are the lack of information, fear of failure and being comfortable with the status quo. I had no idea I wanted to work in a business role in the space industry. I had something else in mind. However, the internship helped me realise that this role allows me to work in a field of my choice with the skills I have. That’s why I wanted to continue in the role and I enjoy doing it. If you never try, you’ll never know!
