Dr Susmita Mohanty is a spaceship designer, serial entrepreneur and space diplomat. In a conversation with Professor Janna Levin, she will discuss her work co-founding India’s first space start-up, the challenges of building sustainable habitats beyond Earth, and the innovative technologies driving the next generation of space missions.

About the speakers

Dr Susmita Mohanty is a pioneering space entrepreneur and advocate for space exploration known for her leadership in the field of commercial spaceflight. She began her career with NASA and Boeing and is the only entrepreneur in the world to have co-founded three space companies on three different continents. As the co-founder and CEO of Earth2Orbit, India’s first space start up, and co-founder of India’s first space think tank SARABHAI (S2), she has played a key role in advancing India's space industry and promoting international collaboration in space research and exploration.

Professor Janna Levin (moderator) is the Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Columbia University. She is also the Founding Director of the Science Studios at New York cultural centre Pioneer Works. As a Guggenheim Fellow, Levin has contributed to an understanding of black holes, the cosmology of extra dimensions and gravitational waves in the shape of spacetime.

This National Science Week event is part of the Sydney Science Festival, presented by Powerhouse.

This is an Auslan interpreted event.