At her space startup, Simone Wilson is helping design and build hypersonic aircraft that could revolutionise access to space and potentially transform global travel as we know it.

“We’re building a plane that will fly seven times faster than the speed of sound,” explains Simone Wilson, an aerothermal engineer working in the emerging space sector. “When you’re travelling that fast, there’s a lot of friction. The outside of the vehicle will be glowing red hot.”

The innovative engineer discovered her passion for space through an unexpected path that took her far from her initial interests.

“I didn’t take the highest level of maths in school. I was interested in international studies and social sciences, and when I left school, I said I wanted to do a year of travel,” said Simone. “After five years abroad, a chance encounter changed everything.”

While working at a famous UK bookstore during a science week event, Simone met three astronauts who inspired her career transformation. “I got talking to them. And they were just awesome, lovely people… it was just at this right time where I was ready to come home. I thought, you know, space, I could really see myself in that field.”

That pivotal moment led Simone to return to Australia and pursue engineering, eventually joining a space startup where she’s been for two years, working in what she describes as non-traditional manufacturing.

Her work addresses extreme engineering challenges that arise in the field of hypersonics. “The outside of the vehicle will be glowing red hot. But on the inside, we have electronics designed to operate at room temperature. We need to keep the inside of the vehicle comfortable while the outside is 1000°, so there’s lots of challenges.”

The potential applications of this technology extend beyond satellite deployment to revolutionising global transportation.

“The amazing thing about the hypersonic plane is that it can take off on a runway, launch a satellite from Australia exactly where you want it to go, and then land back down and do it again. And it’s reusable,” said Simone. “There are companies looking at using hypersonic technology for commercial travel. We could get from here to London in 20 minutes and that would be amazing.”

Simone has found a supportive environment throughout her career journey.

“When I was going through university there was a big intake of women in engineering—one of the biggest. I think that’s because people before me had been working for years to make that better. I feel like I really am riding the wave of support and encouragement,” said Simone.

With a major milestone on the horizon, Simone is looking forward to their first launch. “The first one will be sometime this year. We’ll launch on a rocket from the States… I’m really hoping to get over there to see it. I’ve never launched, so that would be pretty cool.”

Her advice for others interested in entering the field emphasises authenticity and following genuine interests.