Able Seaman Mark Rogers and Flying Officer Nandini Rajpurohit were among 16 graduates of the Australian Defence Force's inaugural Space Initial Employment Training (IET) course held from January 28 to May 14.
The course focused on effective decision‑making in the space domain under information saturation, training personnel to convert complex technical data into clear mission intent through a mix of individual and team‑based activities and assessments.
Able Seaman Rogers transferred to the space operations specialist employment category after six years as an electronics technician in the Navy, working with Aegis SPY radar systems aboard Hobart‑class destroyers.
"Some of the skills I learned over the past six years transfer across to space, but there are also a lot of new concepts to learn," Able Seaman Rogers said.
His interest in space began at age 12 while watching the Discovery Channel and remained a long‑term aspiration throughout his service.
One of the most challenging areas of the course was orbital mechanics, which he described as mathematically demanding but essential to understanding satellite behaviour.
"We're mainly operating and gathering information to support cross-domain missions, rather than maintaining the systems," Able Seaman Rogers said.
'Space is very big, and there's a lot to learn and it's growing as an operational domain.'
Able Seaman Rogers was looking forward to applying his training in an operational environment and continuing to build his knowledge as new space capabilities come online.
"I'm very excited to use the systems and continue to learn and expand my space operations knowledge," he said.
"Space is very big, and there's a lot to learn and it's growing as an operational domain."
Flying Officer Nandini Rajpurohit was among the officer graduates of the IET course as a space operations officer, and has subsequently moved into an operational role at 1 Space Surveillance Unit. This follows a posting at Air Force Headquarters as a personnel capability officer.
Transferring to be a space operations officer given her STEM background in computer science, mathematics and statistics, she described space as critical to operations across all domains.
Flying Officer Rajpurohit's interest in space developed through STEM exposure and helping establish a space club at university.
She said the course placed officers in high‑pressure scenarios, requiring them to manage large volumes of technical information and make timely decisions.
"Because of how unpredictable things are and how fast technology develops, we need to be ready to adapt," Flying Officer Rajpurohit said.
"Through space, you can essentially protect and support all the other domains. It's not service-centric, it's truly joint."
To learn more about a career in space, visit ADF Careers.
