AE School alumnus Rohan Kachru, M.S. AE 2025, has been named a NobleReach Scholar, joining a prestigious network of innovators working across academia, industry, and government to tackle national challenges. NobleReach, a Virginia-based nonprofit, supports top talent with opportunities that drive meaningful impact. As part of the program, Kachru will work at Rocket Lab in California as a spacecraft engineer and receive an annual stipend of $18,000.

“I am honestly honored that I've gotten the opportunity to meet some of the most brilliant young professionals in STEM and business innovation,” Kachru said. “I’m excited to work on new manufacturing practices, and I'm most excited about how I can not only focus on my technical expertise, but also the broader mission to improve industry, government, and academia collaboration.” 

Over the summer, Kachru, and 28 other recipients, participated in a two-week boot camp in Washington, D.C., where they networked and met with prominent government officials. One such leader was former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who served in that position from 2006 to 2011. He served over eight presidents in various positions and agencies and brought a great deal of insight to the new students. 

They also visited the White House and met the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios, who talked to them about artificial intelligence and policy.

Kachru became interested in aerospace after watching the movie October Sky, which featured a young boy who dreams of building rockets and working for NASA. It fueled him to pursue his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech where he graduated and made his way to Georgia Tech for his graduate degree. 

“I’ve always had a passion for difficult problem solving and getting in the weeds of things and exploring space as the final frontier,” he said.

While studying at Georgia Tech, he worked for Andruil, a defense technology firm and learned a great deal about defense applications. He later joined Rocket Lab and found himself more interested in space exploration. He has had touchpoints with government at Andruil, academia through his alma maters, and hopes to bring that acumen to industry.

“Georgia Tech does a really great job of empowering students to be dual citizens in academia, industry, and the public sector.”

In addition to the boot camp and their year-long placement in the federal, state, or local government or industry positions, NobleReach scholars will convene four more times in the coming year, forming a solid network. 

“You're forced into a program where you are intellectually sparring with people who have completely different experiences. It’s really eye-opening.”