When a spaceplane flew last year carrying experimental hardware developed for California Polytechnic (Cal Poly), a young Canterbury engineer was watching closely – knowing components she had helped manufacture were on board.

Yelena Cunningham, 21, a Manufacturing Engineer at Dawn Aerospace in Christchurch, played a role in building parts used in the Cal Poly spaceplane flight in June. Seeing her work move from technical drawing to flight-ready hardware was a defining moment.

“I’ve made a few components for the spaceplane which I’ve taken from just being a technical drawing to an actual part,” says Yelena. “We got to watch the spaceplane launch… just seeing and knowing that my parts were on that was unreal. It was really, really cool.”

Yelena works in Dawn’s machine shop, producing high-precision components that support the manufacture of aerospace propulsion systems used by customers globally.

Her pathway into advanced manufacturing began early.

“I worked part time in two workshops during Year 13,” she says. “Then I moved halfway through my apprenticeship from the company I was at to Dawn Aerospace because I got this opportunity – and it’s been really cool. Dawn is the fourth workshop I’ve been in.”

At Dawn, apprentices are trusted with sophisticated equipment and complex production work.

“They’ve been really good,” she says. “They put me on the top machine in our workshop to allow me to learn on that. And they’ve been really patient.

“All the guys in the workshop are knowledgeable and passing on that knowledge is really cool. They let me do the programming and the CAD. Their patience allows me to learn without pressure.”

Dawn Aerospace employs around 130 people globally, with roughly half based in New Zealand. Apprenticeships are an important pathway, with Yelena one of three to have come through the business.

Dawn Aerospace Brand and Spaceplane Marketing Lead Annelies Powell says the company’s learning culture underpins its innovation model.

“A lot of the environment that we want to create is space for innovation,” says Powell. “Space for innovation requires testing and failing – fly early, fly often and test early, test often – that’s a mantra we use.

“In simple terms, we get things from Earth to space, and from space to everywhere else.”

Dawn’s satellite propulsion systems support customers putting payloads into orbit and require exacting manufacturing standards.

“The propulsion systems have thrusters and electronics and tanks, and that hardware is what Yelena works on to support the manufacturing side of it,” says Powell.

Yelena recently completed her New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Level 4) with a strand in Machining through industry training organisation Competenz. She says her Training Advisor, John Nortman, played a key role in guiding her progression – particularly when she made the decision to change employers mid-apprenticeship.

“John was helpful,” says Yelena. “He was supportive when I made the tough decision to move companies halfway through my apprenticeship to Dawn.

“He encouraged me to continue my studies further, towards Level 5 or 6 mechanical engineering.”

Nortman says the move demonstrated strategic thinking about skills development.

“Yelena is reliable and highly motivated,” he says. “She initiated the move to gain more multi-axis programming and machining time on more-complex machinery and broaden her capability.”

While engineering remains underrepresented for women, Yelena says being the only female in the workshop has not been a barrier.

“I get asked if I find it strange that I’m the only female in the workshop, and I really don’t,” she says. “I don’t even notice it half the time, to be honest.

“All the guys are really supportive and just treat me like one of their own. They’re all really respectful and I’ve never really had any problems – even at the places before Dawn.”

She believes greater visibility of manufacturing could help attract more young people into the sector.

“Engineering can be harder for students to picture, because it’s not something you see every day like building and construction trades. A lot of people don’t realise manufacturing exists because they don’t get the opportunity to see it.”

As for what comes next, Yelena remains grounded.

“I’d like to grow in this job and get into a team lead or management role eventually.”