SpaceBase Podcast
SpaceBase is a social enterprise who's mission is to democratize access to space through education, entrepreneurship and community building starting in New Zealand. This podcast is dedicated to creating the journey from space enthusiast to space entrepreneurs through insightful interviews with aerospace specialists, investors, and entrepreneurs sharing their experience and knowledge of the space industry, and their personal journeys.To support the podcast, please consider becoming a patron.Since its incorporation in 2017, SpaceBase has collaborated with economic development agencies, local and national governments, and advocacy groups, startups, investors, educators to deliver over 300 educational presentations, briefings, and workshops, national space and aerospace competitions, as well as helping birth space communities and organizations locally and globally. SpaceBase also assists in technical due diligence, consulting projects for investors, industry stakeholders, and space startups. SpaceBase created a platform for the NZ Aerospace Directory and has co-founded the Global Space Enablers Network (GSEN), a decentralised alliance of organizations focused on enabling the space enabler worldwide.
SpaceBase Podcast
Resilience, Rockets, and Reinvention: An Interview with Zhanna Nazaryan
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An interview with Zhanna Nazaryan, Principal Manufacturing Engineer at Rocket Lab.
Zhanna has built an impressive career across some of the world’s leading aerospace and advanced manufacturing organizations, including Rocket Lab, Blue Origin, Boeing, GKN Aerospace, Alcoa, and Apollo Manufacturing. Her expertise spans spacecraft composites, manufacturing engineering, quality systems, metrology, production scaling, advanced materials, and aerospace operations.
At Rocket Lab, Zhanna leads advanced composite manufacturing and thermal protection systems for spacecraft production, helping develop the processes, tooling, materials, and manufacturing strategies needed to build flight-ready hardware at scale. Prior to Rocket Lab, she worked on major aerospace programs at Blue Origin and Boeing, supporting everything from testing and production readiness to quality assurance and manufacturing optimization.
Throughout her career, Zhanna has specialized in transforming complex engineering challenges into practical manufacturing solutions while driving quality, efficiency, and innovation in highly demanding environments.
Her journey offers a unique perspective on what it takes to move from engineering concepts to reliable spacecraft production—and why manufacturing excellence is such a critical part of the space industry.
Hosts: SpaceBase Founder Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom
Resources:
Society of Women Engineers
Women in Space Aotearoa New Zealand