12-MONTH INTERNSHIP AT CANADENSYS AEROSPACE

I am very happy to have gotten the opportunity to pursue a 12-month internship at Canadensys Aerospace for my Professional Engineering Year. I am working under the Space Exploration sector of the company, on the design and testing of a 6 kg Lunar Rover. 

​

From the first day at Canadensys, I was integrated into the team right away. I first focused on the design of a Breadboard version of the Lunar Rover for the purpose of Mobility Testing. Working with a Senior staff member I created the harnesses and electrical layout for the breadboard rover. My soldering and circuit skills increased greatly due to this exciting project. Mobility Tests were then conducted on the rover in a simulated lunar environment, and data from the motors was collected. I organized the data and created engineering test reports commenting on the processes and outcomes of the tests. 

​

After getting the information we needed from the Breadboard tests, I moved on to assisting in the design of the Lunar Rover Prototype. I was very happy to participate in designing a key assembly in the rover design: a Shell assembly that mounts Solar Panels. Working with the Senior Mechanical Engineer (who is also my Mentor), I was able to 3D model and create engineering drawings for the Shell Assembly parts. My engineering drawings skills definitely improved during this experience thanks to the guidance of my Mentor. 

​

Aside from my Lunar Rover tasks, I have been involved with the production and testing of Space Cameras! My tasks include deep cleaning of housing components and hardware, preparing kits, installing helicoils, electrical testing and staking PCBs, and thermal testing of full camera assemblies. I have gained knowledge on the importance of ESD safety, lab cleanliness, documentation, and organization through my work with flight hardware. As a bonus, through this internship I got to learn about how to use, troubleshoot, and maintain 3D printers, and have even recently gotten my own!

​

I was responsible for creating  harnesses for the Lunar Prototype and assisted in the assembly of the rover. I worked during my last month with the Senior Software engineer to test and troubleshoot the rover, where I was responsible for overseeing the electrical side of things. Overall, my experience at Canadensys was incredible and I am very thankful not only for what I learned but the great people I got to meet!

​