Ryan Smithers '24 Wins Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship

Ryan Smithers ’24 has been awarded the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, providing him with an internship with ABL Space Systems, where he’ll be working on the space-faring startup’s orbital rocket.

The highly selective fellowship awards exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing aerospace careers with paid internships at cutting-edge commercial space companies. Fellows also receive one-on-one mentorship from accomplished members of the space community, including astronauts, engineers, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and others. Additionally, the program features a memorable summit during which the Fellows learn about space startups, network with top industry leaders, and develop entrepreneurial skills. 

Smithers, who expressed his interest in working with a startup developing orbital rockets, was paired with ABL Space Systems. The El Segundo, Calif. company aims to develop rapid launch capabilities from anywhere in the world without needing excessive ground support infrastructure.

“I am specifically a Ground Systems Intern, developing mechanical and fluid systems for the next version of their portable Ground Support Equipment (GSE),” Smithers said. “The GSE includes almost everything a rocket needs before launch: the mechanical launch mount, which rotates the vehicle from the horizontal to a vertical orientation, as well as the fluids and electrical channels, which provide cryogenic propellants, pressurant, electric power, etc. I hope to be doing both structural and fluid system design.”

In 2021, Smithers founded Project Liquid, a project of the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association (YUAA). He did so with the goal of Yale being the first Ivy League school to develop a fully bi-propellant liquid rocket engine. The team is very close to finishing the manufacturing and assembly, gearing up to begin systemwide water-based pressure tests.

The fellowship is named for Matthew Isakowitz, who died in 2017. He was associate director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, which contributed to SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. After that, he was an entrepreneur and engineer at Planetary Resources and Astranis.