Sanaya Nichani, a driven aerospace engineering student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is carving a path among the stars – quite literally. With a focus on astronautics, Nichani is pursuing her undergraduate degree at one of the top institutions in the nation for aerospace studies.
Embry-Riddle, with residential campuses in Prescott and Daytona Beach, Florida, is ranked the #1 Best Regional College in the West by U.S. News, and #1 for Best Undergraduate Aerospace Engineering Programs among schools without a Ph.D. Nichani’s path into the world of space and rockets was anything but conventional.
“I have been interested in aerospace engineering since I was 16 years old,” she said. “I chose this career path because it was the hardest one I could choose for myself. In high school, I was never good at mathematics or physics, but space had always been fascinating. I knew that if I could excel in engineering school, I could do anything.” Her determination transformed uncertainty into passion, and now, she’s thriving as she edges closer to her dream career.
“I have fallen in love with aerospace engineering and am excited about my future in the space industry,” Nichani said. As she explains it, she’s “becoming a rocket scientist” – a simplified, yet perfectly accurate description of her work in astronautics, which includes propulsion, materials science, structural analysis, fluid dynamics, and more. These skills came to the forefront through her involvement in PARSEC, a standout undergraduate research project at Embry-Riddle.
In 2024, PARSEC was chosen as a finalist team for NASA and the National Institute of Aerospace’s inaugural Human Lander Challenge (HuLC), a prestigious competition focused on finding real solutions for NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) missions. Their project, Plume Additive for Reducing Surface Ejecta and Cratering (PARSEC), aimed to address a problem critical to lunar landings: Plume Surface Interaction (PSI).
Here’s how Nichani describes it: During spacecraft descent, the engine exhaust interacts with lunar dust, displacing it and creating small craters beneath the landing site – an issue that can disrupt sensors and damage nearby equipment.
PARSEC proposed a system using thermal spraying technology to deploy a granular additive into the exhaust plume during descent. The particles would melt, accelerate toward the lunar surface, and form a solid pad to reduce debris and cratering – a solution that earned the team the Excellence in Systems Engineering Award at the 2024 Finalist Forum at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
“NASA’s energy was infectious,” Nichani recalled. “Everyone who attended was there because they were excited about the same topics and implications for space exploration. Oftentimes, I felt as though the line between competitor, faculty advisor, and judge was blurred, because we all shared a common passion.”
In 2025, Nichani and the PARSEC team returned to the challenge with a new concept; this time focusing on mass gauging of cryogenic propellant in microgravity, another complex hurdle for long-term space missions. Their solution, ECHO (Electrical Capacitance to High-Resolution Observation), is an Electrical Capacitance Tomography system designed to continuously monitor fuel levels in microgravity. This innovation could play a vital role in NASA’s future missions, including Artemis.
The team is set to present their work at the 2025 HuLC Finalist Forum from June 23-27, once again at Marshall Space Flight Center. They will deliver a 25-minute presentation followed by a 20-minute Q&A and a session at the poster forum.
“We are looking forward to learning more about the other finalists’ projects and visiting NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center,” Nichani shared. “I am ecstatic that we have the opportunity to attend this year’s forum, and that our newer members get to experience the same wonderful forum we did!”
Looking ahead, Nichani has big dreams and an ambitious plan to achieve them. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to work in the aerospace industry, pursue a Masters and possibly a Ph.D., obtain her pilot’s license, and eventually apply for NASA’s Astronaut Program. Her ultimate goal is to become an astronaut and contribute to space exploration.
“It is a seemingly impossible task,” she admitted, “but I am determined to help us reach the stars. And through this, I am determined to give back to my community and inspire children to pursue STEM and the fields they love. If even one girl is inspired to become an Aerospace Engineer, I will consider my career a success.”
Sanaya Nichani’s journey –from high school student uncertain about physics, to award-winning NASA collaborator – is a testament to perseverance and the boundless possibilities of space.
