Meet the Team

PROJECT MANAGER | AVIONICS

Jessa was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and graduated from W.R. Farrington High School. She is expected to graduate in the Fall of 2023 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Electro-Physics track. She is the co-lead for the avionics subsystem and the assistant project manager. She decided to join the team since she has always been interested in space related topics and wanted to gain experience to help prepare her for a job involving space and engineering in the future. In her free time, she likes to play video games such as Valorant and Ace Attorney, sing karaoke and spending time with friends.

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER | AVIONICS

Though born in China, Junjie moved to Hawaii at an early age and was primarily raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Currently, he is pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering, with an expected graduation date in the fall of 2025. His interest in space and curiosity about exploring various engineering aspects has been present since middle school. This had led him to join the team's avionics subsystem with the goal of gaining valuable real-life experience to add to his existing knowledge, which would aid in his pursuit of a career as an electrical engineer.

SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR | MECHANICAL

Kenny was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and is currently a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace. He is expected to graduated in Fall 2023. As team Laniākea's systems integrator, Kenny coordinates and oversees the various technical aspects of the project to ensure all subsystems work together to fulfill the mission requirements. He joined with the intention to gain more experience with engineering management for complex projects. Fun fact: Kenny is the team's graphic designer and also, terribly colorblind. He enjoys doing outdoorsy activities such as surfing and hiking as well as artistic things like photography and graphic design! He is still unsure of his future career plans.

FISCAL MANAGER | AVIONICS

Jared Antonio is a Junior majoring in electrical engineering with plans to graduate Spring 2024. He grew up in Sunnyvale, California but went to high school in Hilo, Hawaii. He is a member of the avionics subsystem and is also the team’s fiscal manager. He joined because he has always been fascinated with all of the details and processes that go into getting something into space. Something interesting about him is that he have the same birthday as Drake. He enjoys cooking, going to the beach, playing guitar, and lifting. In the future, he plans to work here in Hawaii as an Electrical Engineer.

AVIONICS CO-LEAD

Jhon Leo Gabion is a sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering and is expected to graduate in the Fall of 2025. As a member of the avionics subsystem, he is a PCB designer and joined the team to learn more about electrical design and integration. In his free time, he likes to play video games, repair electronics, and binge shows. In the future, Jhon plans to pursue a career in the aerospace industry.

AVIONICS CO-LEAD

Jason was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and is currently a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Electro-Physics. His expected graduation date is Spring 2024. He is part of the avionics subsystem and decided to join the team to gain electrical engineering related experience that could be applied to real world situations. During his free time he likes to play video games, watch videos on YouTube/Netflix, learn how to cook, and learn how to fix electronics/repurpose old computer parts. In the future, Jason plans to stay and find a career as an electrical engineering in Hawaii.

MECHANICAL LEAD

Regina Lee is from Honolulu, Hawaii. Curious as to what the aerospace field was all about, she jumped at the opportunity to join the CubeSat VIP Project at UH Manoa. With Team Laniakea, she manufactures and works on procurement of hardware with the mechanical sub-team. On her free time she enjoys watching cat videos, playing video games, and talking about keyboards. Regina is currently exploring new avenues as a student pilot and undergraduate student, pursuing her Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering as an expected graduate of 2025. In the future, she hopes to continue to expand her education and experience in aviation and aerospace.

SOFTWARE LEAD

Osiel "Alex" Montoya is currently a senior studying Computer Engineering at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Originally from Fairfax, VA, he has contributed to the Avionics subsystem by providing CAD and manufacturing support for the various printed circuit boards in the satellite. Additionally, he has supported the Software team by implementing On-Board Computer intercommunication links. He is projected to graduate in Spring 2023. Alex joined this project both because of the exciting opportunity to help build a satellite to be launched into orbit, and due to his previous experience with satellite communications technology as an Electronics Technician in the United States Navy. Upon graduation, he intends to continue on to graduate study and into a career in low-level firmware engineering.

MECHANICAL

Rhea Mae was born and raised in Waialua, Hawaii and graduated from Waialua High and Intermediate School. She is a currently a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering and is expected to graduate in Spring 2026. Rhea Mae is a member of the mechanical sub-team and aids in the manufacturing of mechanical structures/systems. She joined Team Laniākea to gain experience and technical knowledge on engineering and its relation to the aerospace industry. In her free time, she enjoys watching c-/k-dramas, listening to k-pop, spending time with friends, and bottom fragging in Valorant, LoL and TFT.

SOFTWARE

Alex was born and raised in Hawaii Kai, Hawaii. He graduated back in 2019 with a Bachelors in Sociology but wanted to pursue another career in Computer Engineering. Alex plans to pursue a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering as well. Alex is currently a Manoa undergraduate, a member of the software team, under the mentorship of Alex Montoya. After meeting Amber and Jessa through an engineering orientation meeting, Alex gained major interest to learn more about software/ soldering. Outside of engineering, Alex likes music, cars and food.

MECHANICAL

Ryden was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and graduated from Pearl City High School. He is currently in his second year majoring in mechanical engineering. Ryden joined the CubeSat Project at Manoa because he wanted to learn more about mechanical engineering and how it is applied. In his free time, he loves to play video games, mentoring robotics teams, watching league of legends, and playing his ukulele. In the future, Ryden hopes to be able to get an internship for Pearl Harbor and end up getting a job there.

MECHANICAL

Travis Salyphone is a senior in Mechanical Engineering from Honolulu, Hawaii and is expected to graduate in Spring 2024. In the mechanical structures and mechanisms subsystem, he aids in part manufacturing, document editing, and computer-aided design. After a summer internship under the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory, Travis was eager to continue obtaining practical engineering experience while making friends and thus joined the team. Outside of engineering, he enjoys playing video games, binging television shows, and talking with friends. While open to any engineering positions on the islands, he hopes to aid in engineering designs and models in the future.

SOFTWARE

Kristian’s intended major is computer engineering. He plans to graduate in Fall of 2025 and is from Mililani Hawaii. He is a part of the software team and considers himself a junior programmer. The main thing he does is work on code that the lead for the software team assigns him as he is still learning the code and is new to the team. He decided to join the team because it seemed interesting and cool. He is a boba addict, and his main hobbies are going to the gym, working on cars, and drinking boba. He plans to hopefully get a job as a programmer or an electrical engineer.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HSFL

My current research and work is focused on the development, launch and operations of small satellite missions carrying newly developed scientific payloads. I am serving the University of Hawaii as an Assistant Specialist Faculty; as the Deputy Director of HSFL; as the Systems Engineer for Neutron-1 and the HyTI missions. I have 10+ years of experience in the various spacecraft subsystems such as the Attitude Determination and Control (ADCS), On Board Computer (OBC), Flight Software, Thermal Control, Power Distribution and Radio Communications.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HSGC

Frances Zhu earned her B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University, Ithaca in 2014 and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering at Cornell in 2019. Dr. Zhu was a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow. Since 2020, she has been an assistant research professor with the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology at University of Hawaii, specializing in machine learning, dynamics, systems, and controls engineering. She is also the deputy director for the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium and graduate cooperating faculty with the following departments: mechanical engineering, information and computer science, electrical engineering, and earth science.

AVIONICS ENGINEER AND PROJECT MANAGER

Amber Imai-Hong is an Avionics Engineer and Program Manager for the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory. She graduated from Waiakea High School on Hawaii Island before getting her B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Electro-Physics in 2012. Amber has been working with the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory on spacecraft design, development, testing, and educational outreach. Over the past 14 years, Amber has worked on eleven spacecraft projects, three suborbital payloads, mentored several student teams who worked on the development of testing spacecraft systems and components. At HSFL, she has continued to do avionics work and environmental testing. She also leads HSFL’s community and educational outreach projects, and is Program Director for the Artemis CubeSat Kit and Project POKE. Her hobbies include hiking, crafting/tinkering, and cooking.

INTEGRATION AND TESTING ENGINEER

LEAD SOFTWARE ENGINEER

SYSTEMS ENGINEER

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Born and raised in Redding, California, Luke Clements is a recent graduate who received his bachelor's degree in information systems. Luke is team Laniākea's software development lead and oversees the progress of the satellites flight software. He joined the team with the intention of gaining more experience in the aerospace industry. When he isn't working, Luke likes to spend his time travelling, playing video games, and hiking.

GRADUATE AVIONICS ASSISTANT

Kelly Ngo is a graduate student pursuing a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering with a Systems and Data Science track. She is expected to graduate in December 2023. After graduating Pacific Buddhist Academy as valedictorian, she went on to acquire a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Kelly joined Team Laniākea as an undergraduate student because she liked the sound of Aerospace Technologies. As an undergraduate, Kelly worked on the design and assembly of the Electrical Power System (EPS), whose purpose is to generate, store, and distribute power to other subsystems of the CubeSat. Kelly’s responsibilities included preparing the major EPS components, which include the Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Board, Batteries, Battery Board, and Solar Panels, for flight testing and integration. As a graduate student, Kelly expanded her work to avionics, with focus on the on-board computer (OBC) and EPS. She currently aids in mentoring Team Laniākea's avionics students in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design using the Eagle Software, while also improving upon the Ke Ao CubeSat avionic system designs. Kelly aspiries to enter a career where she can continue honing her electrical engineering skills while also making an impact on the aerospace technologies field.

GRADUATE COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT

Aksel Sloan in an Electrical Engineering Masters student graduating in Spring 2023. Aksel grew up in Southern California and got his Bachelors of Science in physics from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2020. Aksel is the communications lead for Artemis and spends his time designing communications systems and developing software to accompany them. He joined team Laniākea to combine his passion for physics and engineering in the context of aerospace. When he is not working, Aksel is surfing, playing music in a Pink Floyd cover band, or paddling at the Hui Nalu Canoe Club. Aksel's main career goal is to design information control systems for satellites.

GRADUATE SOFTWARE ASSISTANT

Ethan Chee was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and is currently a masters student in Computer Engineering. He is expected to graduate with his Bachelor's of Science in Fall 2022 and is hoping to pursue a Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering. Ethan joined the VIP team to get more involved with electrical hardware and being able to apply his computer science experience to make those hardware operational. Aerospace has been one of his top fields of interest as it covers several disciplines of engineering: mechanical, electrical, and software. While Ethan enjoys to program, he is also open to understanding a little about the other engineering fields as well. Growing up, he maintained interest in aerospace as he had regularly read books and articles about space exploration and celestial bodies. Upon joining the team in Spring 2021, he worked in the avionics and software subsystems. He gained experience in EAGLE, fabricating PCBs, COSMOS, radio communications, and serial protocols. Outside of school, Ethan enjoys watching videos on YouTube, Disney+, and Netflix, and occasionally programming for small personal projects. In the future, Ethan hopes to be a part of an engineering team that will produce innovative products for the community.

AVIONICS

Phillip Amona is currently a senior majoring in the Electro-Physics track of the Electrical Engineering program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He grew up in Mililani, Hawaiʻi and went to high school at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. From a young age, Phillip has always been passionate about learning and practicing whatever interests him, whether it be math, astronomy, chemistry, origami, piano, psychology, or rock climbing. He eventually settled on his current major so he could have a broad range of opportunities available to him after he graduates. Phillip also has spent time in several engineering projects, including a semester in Smart Campus Energy Lab (SCEL), where he learned circuit board design and some programming, as well as Robotic Space Exploration (RoSE), where he got firsthand experience in business. Phillip is currently on the avionics subsystem of the Aerospace Technologies satellite team. Along with his projects, Phillip is also a College of Engineering Student Ambassador, as well as a recipient of the Senator Daniel K. ʻAkaka Regents Scholarship. Phillip is passionate in projects where he can design and test his work, and hopes to enter careers where he will be able to do so.

SOFTWARE

Timothy was born and raised on the island of Oahu and is currently a senior in Electrical Engineering with an expected graduation of Spring 2023. Timothy joined the team because of a interest in aeronautics and astronomy from a young age, and was interested in the opportunity to work on projects going to space. He is new to the software sub-team. His future career plans are to pursue a Master's Degree while working and eventually moving up to Washington. In his free time he enjoys listening to podcasts, enjoys hiking, and playing video games.

AVIONICS

Preston Ching is from Hilo, Hawaii and is a senior studying Electrical Engineering in the Electrophysics track. His expected graduation date is Fall 2022. He has always had a deep interest in aerospace and Team Laniakea was a great way to explore and get a taste of the industry. He decided to join this project to get more hands on experience working with a complex electrical system, to learn how to work with different software tools and has done this by working on the avionics team throughout his time on the project. When Preston is not studying he is on the golf course, at the beach, or relaxing at home with family and friends. He enjoys playing music and video games on his free time. His career plans are to work in aerospace.

ATTITUDE CONTROL AND DETERMINATION

Nicolas Gottero is a junior pursuing a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering and is projected to graduate in December 2023. He hopes to eventually get a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering. Nicolas was born and raised in Livermore, California and graduated from Granada High School in 2019. He has always had an interest for aeronautics and astronautics and joined the VIP team in his first semester of his freshman year. Since then, he has mainly been a part of the attitude determination and control subsystem, where he learns how to determine a satellite's orientation in space and then accurately point the CubeSat in a certain direction. Aside from school, Nicolas likes to spend his free time bodyboarding at Sandy Beach and playing basketball with friends. In the future, he hopes to work for companies such as SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.

AVIONICS LEAD

Adam is a senior majoring in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Electro-Physics. He is the avionics lead for the team, overseeing the fabrication and testing of the satellite's boards. He joined the team because he wanted to obtain more experience working on satellites and other spacecraft. After graduation, Adam hopes to start working in the space industry. In his free time, he enjoys playing his guitar, reading books, playing video games, and hanging out with friends.

MECHANICAL

Isam is a sophomore pursuing a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and is expected to graduate in Spring 2024. He is from Colorado Springs, CO and is on the mechanics portion of the VIP group. He joined the team as a way to gain experience in the field that he wishes to currently pursue as a career. Isam's hobbies include art, gaming, and outdoor activities like swimming and hiking. He's not exactly sure what the future holds for him, so he's taking it one step at a time.

SOFTWARE

Ben is from Honolulu, HI and currently a Mechanical Engineering student expecting to graduate in Fall 2023. Throughout his career in the MechE curriculum, he found a lot of passion in solving problems through programming and learning new technologies which were the main driving factors in why he joined the team. As of now, he is a part of the software subsystem for the satellite working on the logic for the RFM-98 radio to enable communication between the ground station and other radios. Outside of school, his hobbies are playing volleyball, video games, and coding for personal projects. After graduating with his engineering degree, he hopes to pursue a job in IT as a software developer or engineer.

AVIONICS

Emily was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She joined the VIP team as a member of the avionics subsystem to learn and explore the field of aerospace. Emily is currently majoring in Electrical Engineering and is expected to graduate in Fall 2025. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano and learning random skills. After graduating, her hopes are to eventually earn a master's degree and to work in a job related to electrical engineering.

MECHANICAL

Matthew Madayag is from the heart of Kalihi on Oahu. He is a proud Governor from Wallace Rider Farrington High school of the class of 2020. He was involved in the soccer team and as the school's Hawaii State Student Council Representative. Matthew decided to join the team to refine his skills as a leader and be a reliable teammate. Interesting facts about him is that he's a massive nerd and enjoys staying inside playing video games even before the pandemic began. Matthew is currently seeking his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace with the aspirations to one day work for progress driven organizations such as NASA or SpaceX. What inspired him to become interested in the aerospace field was watching SpaceX launch a car into space live and then those boosters coming back down to land. This event sparked a burning curiosity to learn more about space and become the privileged few to be advancing in human civilization beyond Earth. Joining team Laniākea under the mechanical sub-team as a Sophomore gave Matthew his first steps into the realm of engineering having zero experience prior. He hopes to gain more knowledge and experience from volunteering and progressively work on larger projects.

AVIONICS

Sebastian Murakami is an Electrical Engineering major expected to graduate in Fall 2022. He is a resident of Honolulu, Oahu who graduated from Kaimuki High School in 2018. The role that Sebastian plays in this VIP team is helping the avionics team with fabricating and designing boards. Sebastian joined team Laniākea with hopes to gain more hands-on experience as well as learning more about the many subsystems that make up a satellite. He enjoys being outdoors and exploring the vast world that we live in. For his future career plans, Sebastian hopes to use his knowledge to go further in the field of aerospace.

AVIONICS

Dane Sears was born and raised in Redding, CA, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and plans to graduate in fall of 2023. Dane decided to join the team due to his enduring fascination with space sciences, and background in avionics with The United States Air Force. Dane’s hobbies include reading, outdoor activities, gaming, and playing musical instruments. In the future, Dane hopes to grow his career and education experience to potentially achieve a doctorate in astrophysics.

MECHANICAL

Evan Takushi is from Mililani, Hawaii and is currently a senior studying Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace. His expected graduation date is Fall 2022. He is the current mechanical subsystem lead for Team Laniākea. Evan had decided to join the team because of his high school internship through the college of engineering where he had worked under HSFL on a satellite project Space Based Calibration Platform. Not only did this experience help verify his passion for aerospace, but for engineering in general. Competing in robotics had fueled his passion for mechanical engineering specifically. An interesting fact about him is that he is a pescatarian. When Evan is not working on satellites he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, surfing, playing video games, and mentoring his former robotics team. His career plans are to work in the aerospace industry.

MECHANICAL

Laura Turegano was born in Alicante and raised in Malaga, Spain. She is a freshman pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering expecting to graduate in 2025. From a young age, she has been interested in space exploration and this project is her first opportunity to accomplish this goal. Through this project, she has been able to learn CAD as part of the mechanical subsystem. In her free time, she enjoys kitesurfing and surfing and one day, she would like to design a kite of her own. After graduating, Laura plans on continuing her interest in the field by applying to aerospace companies.

MECHANICAL

Born and raised on O'ahu, Kenton Wong is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and is projected to graduate in Spring 2023. Kenton decided to join the mechanical subsystem to explore the field and to gain experience working on a team project. Currently, Kenton is open to any career path and is interested in working at Pearl Harbor after college. Kenton's hobbies include learning kung fu, lion dancing, and playing video games.

PROJECT MANAGER

Christianne was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and is currently a senior majoring in Computer Engineering. She is expected to graduate in the Spring 2023 semester. As the VIP team project manager, she keeps the team on task to be able to meet deadlines and to ensure progress. Christi decided to join the team to gain experience working in a team on a larger scale project. Outside of academics, she enjoys painting, baking, and grabbing food with friends. She also enjoys watching British murder mystery and baking shows. Her academic interests include programming, intelligent systems, and space science and engineering. Following her graduation, she hopes to get a software or hardware engineering job somewhere on the mainland.

SOFTWARE

Kiana Yoshinaga is a freshman majoring in Civil/Environmental Engineering. She joined the Software subsystem due to her growing interest in programming and gaining experience with Space exploration. In her free time she likes to do art, read books, and listen to music. After graduation, Kiana is looking to further her education through grad school and hopes to continue learning about computer science either officially or recreationally.