Who I Am

Aidan Velleca profile photo

Aidan Velleca graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (BSAAE) in December 2024. Aidan has been working to define himself in the space industry, mostly within the area of mission operations. However, he is also interested in anything related to software development. In his free time, Aidan enjoys learning new languages such as Spanish and Italian, playing volleyball, and spending time with friends, family, and his two dogs, Ollie and Teddy. He has a passion for adventure, and has visited 28 different countries. As an LA native, you might find Aidan at the beach, or in the mountains hiking.

Journey So Far

Flight Dynamics Engineering Intern Astroforge

Mar 2025 – Present Seal Beach, CA, USA
  • Operated Ansys Orbit Determination Toolkit (ODTK) through script to analyze filter performance on mock trajectory with multiple ground station and measurement type combinations
  • Automated asteroid target selection process to include newly discovered NEOs in real-time using Python, Google Cloud, and NASA APIs
  • Developed reference trajectory using NASA GMAT software

Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineering Intern Northrop Grumman

May 2024 – Aug 2024 Dulles, VA, USA
  • Innovated simulator to include new truth values in new reference frames to support docking
  • Introduced a lighting requirement to ensure that spacecraft camera is not facing the sun for too long when within docking range
  • Created a new, more robust distance-finding algorithm to avoid spacecraft collisions and trigger abort procedure

Research and Development Intern SprintRay

May 2022 – Aug 2022 Dulles, VA, USA
  • Engineered a new mirror calibration tool in SolidWorks for 3D printers to allow for more precise adjustments challenging to make by hand
  • Designed model to simulate layer distortion from poor calibration and output correction process
  • Analyzed and repaired broken printers

Organizations

Spanish Conversation Club photo
Spanish Conversation Club
Purdue University
Practiced Spanish weekly with fellow students. Served as treasurer between August 2024 and December 2024.
August 2023 – December 2024
Special Interest Group in Game Development photo
Special Interest Group in Game Development
Purdue University
Programmed a large scale game in a team using the Unity game engine. Also did smaller game jams. Served as a programmer.
August 2023 – December 2024
Boiler Gold Rush photo
Boiler Gold Rush
Purdue University
Orientation program for incoming freshmen. Served as a group leader, helping new students adjust to college life.
April 2021 - September 2021

Projects

SkyViewer screenshot
SkyViewer
Uses TLE information to display information about LEO satellites. Built with Flask and Python.
View Project →