Companion to the internship contacts list, October 2026. Same 48 companies, now with who to contact and how to find them. ★ marks the best fits for your projects; ⚠ marks companies not worth contacting this cycle.
Named people are only those identified in their professional role in public sources (company pages, press releases, interviews), with a link to each source. Titles are as of 2026 and people move, so check each person's current role on LinkedIn before writing. No email addresses are guessed: reach named people through LinkedIn or the company's official channel. For most larger companies no team-level names are public, so the LinkedIn search column is the way to find an engineer.
| Who | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Engineer or team lead in the team you want to join | Best first contact | They know whether there is work for an intern and can forward your CV to the person who decides. Look for titles like Senior Engineer, Team Lead or Engineering Manager in the relevant team. |
| Engineer with 1–3 years' experience, ideally an IIT or IITDAD alumnus | Most likely to reply | Junior engineers remember applying themselves and often pass on referrals. Add IIT to your LinkedIn keywords to find alumni. |
| University relations, early careers or talent acquisition recruiter | Large companies | They run the intern process at places like Airbus or Lockheed Martin. Contact them about eligibility and timelines, not the technical work. |
| Founder or CTO | Small startups only (under about 50 people) | At small startups the founders often read applications themselves. Don't do this at large companies. |
Avoid CEOs of large companies, general HR inboxes when a named person is available, and sending the same message to many people at one company. Two well-chosen contacts per company is enough.
Hi [Name], I'm a CS student at IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi who built a satellite stereo reconstruction pipeline (GDAL, OpenCV). I've applied for a summer 2027 internship at [Company] and would love to hear how your team works on [their area]. Thanks!
| Company | Location | Open to you? | Apply first | Who to contact | Named people (public sources) | Find them on LinkedIn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★ GalaxEye | Bengaluru, India | Yes | SAR data intern · AI research intern | Lead of the SAR data products or processing team; ML engineers on the AI research side; talent acquisition | Rakshit Bhatt, co-founder and VP Product; leads products that combine AI with satellite imagery (profile). Denil Chawda, co-founder and CTO (source). Best first pick: Rakshit Bhatt | Company: GalaxEye. Keywords: SAR, data product, image processing | Apply to the posting first. Your GDAL work matches what the SAR intern posting asks for |
| ★ SatSure | Bengaluru, India | Yes | ML intern | ML or data science team leads; geospatial engineers; recruiter | Rashmit Singh Sukhmani, co-founder and CTO; previously led satellite image analysis and was Chief Data Officer (source) | Company: SatSure. Keywords: machine learning, geospatial, remote sensing | Posting asks for GDAL, Rasterio and Geopandas, so name GDAL up front |
| ★ Pixxel | Bengaluru, India | Yes | calibration intern · geospatial intern | Calibration or image-processing engineers; geospatial team lead; recruiter | Kshitij Khandelwal, co-founder and CTO (source); Eiji Yafuso, Chief Science Officer (Pixxel team page). With about 380 staff, a calibration or geospatial engineer is a better first contact than either | Company: Pixxel. Keywords: calibration, hyperspectral, geospatial | Your radiometric normalisation work is the link to their calibration team |
| ★ Digantara | Bengaluru, India | Yes | careers (Pitch Yourself) | Software or product engineering leads; at a startup this size, senior engineers read pitches directly | Tanveer Ahmed, co-founder and CTO; team of about 125 (source) | Company: Digantara. Keywords: software, space situational awareness, orbit determination | Use Pitch Yourself as the formal application, then message one engineer |
| ★ Orbitworks | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Yes | talent pool | Early careers or talent recruiter in Abu Dhabi; software and AIT engineers | No suitable technical name is public. Leadership: Hamdullah Mohib, CEO, and Ralph Koyess, business development director (source). Find an engineer instead. Altair-1, built in Abu Dhabi, launched in October 2026, a good opening line | Company: Orbitworks. Location: Abu Dhabi. Keywords: software, satellite, integration | Local, so offer to meet in person. That is your biggest advantage here |
| ★ Lockheed Martin CISS | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Yes | 2025 cohort | CISS university relations or internship programme coordinator; researchers in AI and simulation | Hala Majeed Al Zargani, manager of Lockheed Martin CISS, quoted on the internship programme in 2024 and 2025 (source). Best single contact on this list | Company: Lockheed Martin. Keywords: CISS, Center for Innovation and Security Solutions, Abu Dhabi | Also ask the IITDAD careers office whether they have a contact for the programme |
| ★ The Exploration Company | Munich, Germany (also Dubai) | Yes | GNC Software Intern | GNC or flight software team lead; talent acquisition | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: The Exploration Company. Keywords: GNC, flight software | Apply to the posting first; a Dubai presence may make a local conversation possible |
| ★ Open Cosmos | Harwell, UK / Barcelona | Yes, UK visa | careers | Flight dynamics or backend software engineers; early careers recruiter | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Open Cosmos. Keywords: flight dynamics, backend, software | Check visa timelines early if you get an offer |
| ★ D-Orbit | Como, Italy | Yes | apply | Software or mission operations engineers; HR internship coordinator | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: D-Orbit. Keywords: software engineer, flight software, mission operations | Open application, so a named engineer who can point your CV to a team helps a lot |
| ★ Aerospacelab | Belgium | Yes | intern posting | AI or data analytics team; software engineers; recruiter | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Aerospacelab. Keywords: computer vision, data, AI | Posting is for BSc CS students, 3 months, with housing allowance |
| ★ ispace | Tokyo, Japan | Yes (Japan only) | programme page | Tokyo internship programme HR; software or GNC engineers in Tokyo | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: ispace. Location: Tokyo. Keywords: software, GNC | US branch is US-only; aim for Tokyo |
| ICEYE | Espoo, Finland | Yes, some screening | flight software intern | Flight software leads; SAR processing engineers; talent acquisition | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: ICEYE. Keywords: flight software, SAR processing | |
| Airbus India | Bengaluru, India | Yes | example posting | Campus or early careers recruiters for Airbus India; engineering managers in Bengaluru digital and AI teams | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Airbus. Location: Bengaluru. Keywords: campus, early careers, data science | Apply through the official Airbus careers portal, not third-party posts |
| ideaForge | Navi Mumbai, India | Yes | listing | Perception, autonomy or AI robotics engineers; HR | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: ideaForge. Keywords: computer vision, autonomy, robotics | |
| Skyroot Aerospace | Hyderabad, India | Yes | official careers | Avionics or embedded software engineers (for questions about team fit); HR | Naga Bharath Daka, co-founder and COO, avionics and FPGA background (source). With 1,000+ staff, an avionics engineer is far more realistic. Vikram-1 reached orbit in July 2026 | Company: Skyroot Aerospace. Keywords: avionics, embedded software, flight software | They say apply through the official page only. Apply there; use LinkedIn only to ask an engineer about the work |
| Dhruva Space | Hyderabad, India | Yes | Careers email you have; general: info@dhruvaspace.com | AstraView or ground station software engineers; HR | Abhay Egoor, co-founder and CTO; team of over 200 (Dhruva team page). An AstraView engineer is the better first contact | Company: Dhruva Space. Keywords: AstraView, ground station, geospatial | Builds satellites and ground stations, not rockets. Email already drafted |
| NanoAvionics (Kongsberg) | Vilnius, Lithuania | Yes | posting | Software or product engineering leads; HR in Vilnius | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: NanoAvionics. Keywords: software, flight software, product engineer | Current posting is product engineering, so ask whether software roles open |
| ISISPACE | Delft, Netherlands | Yes | open application | Department leads for software or mission operations | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: ISISPACE. Keywords: software, mission operations | Applications are by department, so name the department you want |
| ClearSpace | Luxembourg / London | Yes, 6 months | posting | Robotics or GNC simulation engineers; recruiter | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: ClearSpace. Keywords: GNC, robotics, simulation | 6 months is longer than your window, so ask whether a summer placement is possible |
| A2RL (ASPIRE) | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Indirect | 2026 season | Members or team leads of a competing team, such as Khalifa University's | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Keywords: A2RL, autonomous racing, Khalifa University | The way in is joining a racing team, not the league itself |
| TII | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Indirect | — | Researchers in its robotics and space research centres (e.g. Loianno, already on your professor list) | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Technology Innovation Institute. Keywords: robotics, autonomous, space | No public internship page, so a researcher is the only route |
| Isar Aerospace | Munich, Germany | Check | working student | Recruiter for software interns and working students | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Isar Aerospace. Keywords: recruiter, talent acquisition, software | Export controls apply. Ask a recruiter about eligibility before investing time |
| Auterion | Zurich, Switzerland | Check | — | PX4 maintainers and contributors; robotics engineers | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Auterion. Keywords: PX4, robotics. Also the PX4 GitHub and community forum | Defence-focused now. Contributing to PX4 is the most credible way in |
| Quantum Systems | Gilching, Germany | Check | — | Recruiter; autonomy or software engineers | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Quantum Systems. Keywords: recruiter, autonomy, software | Defence focus; confirm eligibility first |
| Wingcopter | Weiterstadt, Germany | Check | posting | Autonomous flight team engineers; recruiter | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Wingcopter. Keywords: autonomous flight, software | Working-student roles usually need German enrolment, so ask about a summer internship instead |
| GomSpace | Aalborg, Denmark | Check | — | Software engineers; HR | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: GomSpace. Keywords: software, flight software | Current internship is hardware-focused (AIV) |
| EnduroSat | Sofia, Bulgaria | Check | careers | People or talent team; software engineers | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: EnduroSat. Keywords: talent, software, Space Challenges | No role posted now; Space Challenges boot camp is another way in |
| Axelspace | Tokyo, Japan | Check | internship page | Internship HR; software engineers | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Axelspace. Keywords: software, satellite imagery | Minimum 6 months, longer than your summer window |
| Agnikul Cosmos | Chennai, India | Check | — | Founding team or HR; software or avionics engineers | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Agnikul Cosmos. Keywords: avionics, software, flight software | No official intern listing, so LinkedIn is the main route |
| Fleet Space | Adelaide, Australia | Check | — | Graduate or summer programme recruiter | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Fleet Space Technologies. Keywords: graduate program, talent | Programme is aimed at students in Australia; ask if international students can apply |
| CubePilot | Australia | Check | — | ArduPilot developers and mentors | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | ArduPilot GitHub, forum and Discord rather than LinkedIn | No intern programme; ArduPilot's Google Summer of Code is the route |
| Planet Labs | Berlin / San Francisco | Unlikely | example | — | — | — | Only part-time working-student roles in Berlin. ⚠ Skip for now |
| Astroscale | Tokyo / Harwell | Restricted | — | Recruiter at the UK (Harwell) office, only to ask about eligibility | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Astroscale. Location: United Kingdom. Keywords: recruiter | Japan internships need Japan enrolment. ⚠ Low priority |
| Space42 | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Restricted | source | — | — | — | Future Spacers is Emirati-only. ⚠ Skip |
| EDGE Group | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Restricted | source | — | — | — | Trainee programmes are for UAE nationals only. ⚠ Skip |
| MBRSC | Dubai, UAE | Restricted | — | — | — | — | Undergraduate research programme is for Emiratis. ⚠ Skip |
| Strata Manufacturing | Al Ain, UAE | Restricted | — | — | — | — | Emiratisation-focused. ⚠ Skip |
| Sanad | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Restricted | — | — | — | — | Emiratisation-focused. ⚠ Skip |
| Collins Aerospace (ME) | Abu Dhabi / Dubai | Restricted | — | Collins Middle East university relations, via Khalifa University's careers office | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | Company: Collins Aerospace. Location: United Arab Emirates. Keywords: university relations | Internships run through a KU partnership, so a direct route is unlikely |
| Zipline | South San Francisco, USA | Restricted | — | — | — | — | Needs US work authorisation. ⚠ Skip |
| Skydio | San Mateo, USA | Restricted | — | — | — | — | US-based; Zurich internship is PhD-only. ⚠ Skip |
| Thales Alenia Space | Toulouse, Cannes, Rome | Master's only | — | — | — | — | 5–6 month master's internships. Revisit later in your degree |
| Loft Orbital | Toulouse / San Francisco | Master's only | — | — | — | — | 6-month master's internships. Use Orbitworks (its Abu Dhabi joint venture) instead |
| Exotrail | Toulouse, France | Master's only | — | — | — | — | 6-month master's internships. Revisit later |
| Spire Global | Glasgow / Luxembourg | Restricted | — | — | — | — | Interns only in Washington DC. ⚠ Skip |
| Synspective | Tokyo, Japan | Restricted | — | — | — | — | Japan-resident applicants only. ⚠ Skip |
| Unseenlabs | Rennes, France | Not found | — | — | — | — | No internships found; defence-backed. ⚠ Skip |
| Garuda Aerospace | Chennai, India | Poor fit | — | Ask the IITDAD careers office whether a college partnership exists | No suitable name found in public sources; use the LinkedIn search | — | Internships mainly via college partnerships |