M-2026 / OPERATOR FILE / CIB

Christian
Ibarra

Aerospace engineering student at UT Arlington focused on avionics, command & data handling, and spacecraft dynamics. Building flight-ready systems through student-led missions, undergraduate research, and personal projects.

Position Avionics & CDH Lead

Affiliation AIAA · UTA

Grad. Window MAY · 2027

Coordinates 32.74° N / 97.11° W

§ 01 · Operator

Built for flight hardware, written like a brief.

Background, focus areas, and current operating envelope.

I'm an aerospace engineering student with a deliberate bias toward avionics and flight systems — the boxes that have to work the moment power goes on.

I'm currently the Avionics & Command and Data Handling (CDH) Lead for Project BlueSpear, AIAA at UTA's student space launch vehicle targeting flight beyond the Kármán line. My work extends beyond subsystem management into early-phase avionics architecture, requirements flowdown, flight-computer and data-logging trade studies, interface planning, documentation control, and hazard/risk assessment for integration and test.

Before BlueSpear, I led the communications side of a CubeSat feasibility study, fabricated graphene-reinforced polymer composites in a nanoscience lab while running an in-house RF attenuation experiment, built a Level 1 high-power rocket on my own, and modeled 6-DOF spacecraft dynamics in MATLAB and Simulink for coursework.

I'm looking for a Summer 2026 internship where I can keep moving toward real flight hardware — avionics, GNC, integration & test, or systems engineering on launch vehicles, spacecraft, or in-space systems.

§ 02 · Capabilities

Toolchain & working envelope.

Software, hardware, and technical proficiency by category.

CAP · 01

Programming

Languages used for simulation, analysis, and embedded work.

Python
MATLAB
C
C++
Bash
LaTeX

CAP · 02

Engineering Software

Modeling, simulation, CAD, PCB, and data acquisition.

Simulink
SolidWorks
Fusion 360
Altium Designer
ANSYS Fluent
LabVIEW
OpenRocket

CAP · 03

Tools & Systems

Operating systems, networking, version control, lab practice.

Linux
Windows
Git / GitHub
Docker
Cisco IOS
Networking Basics
Tensile Testing
Technical Writing
Microsoft Office
Google Workspace

§ 03 · Missions

Active & archived missions.

Selected projects, research, and coursework — most recent first.

M-007 · EAL-CORE01 Operational v1 MAY 2026 — PRESENT

Designer / Operator · Personal Infrastructure

eal-core01 Infrastructure Node

A hardened self-hosted infrastructure node built from a donated mini PC: a private cloud for engineering files reachable from any of my devices, with zero public internet exposure. Treated like an engineering build — requirements first, decisions documented, behavior verified.

Designed a Tailnet-only access model with a deny-by-default firewall and a Docker backend bound to localhost — defense by not being reachable, not just by rules.
Deployed a Dockerized Nextcloud stack (MariaDB, Redis, cron) on Ubuntu Server with a deliberate live/backup storage split enforced at install time.
Verified the access boundary holds — confirmed off-Tailnet devices time out — and staged a backup-and-restore gate before calling the node trustworthy.

M-006 · BLUESPEAR Active FEB 2026 — PRESENT

Avionics & CDH Lead · AIAA at UTA

Project BlueSpear

Student space launch vehicle targeting flight beyond the Kármán line. I lead the avionics and Command and Data Handling effort, turning mission intent into a traceable flight-systems architecture: flight-computer selection logic, onboard data logging, sensor interfaces, power-interface needs, communications handoff, documentation control, and early verification planning.

Built the CDH documentation framework, including document numbering, revision control, release workflow, and Engineering Change Order logic for subsystem records.
Developed early avionics architecture decision work for the flight computer and onboard data-logging system, separating primary control, independent backup, full-data logging, and core telemetry needs.
Produced early hazard and risk assessment work covering power faults, wiring/interface failures, data loss, sensor failure, and controls needed for safer integration, test, launch, recovery, and post-flight handling.

M-005 · CUBESAT-FS Complete JAN 2025 — DEC 2025

Communications Team · AIAA Project

CubeSat Feasibility Study

Year-long feasibility study for a small-satellite mission. I owned the communications side — translating top-level mission intent into a preliminary RF architecture and recommending a defensible COTS baseline.

Converted mission objectives into communications requirements: downlink data volume, contact pass timing, and link-budget drivers.
Conducted a structured trade study of COTS radios and antennas using vendor datasheets, with documented assumptions and rationale.
Produced subsystem-level interfaces and selection rationale to feed integrated mission-level design reviews.

M-004 · L1-HPR Flown NOV 2025

Personal Project — Solo

L1 High-Power Rocket

Designed, built, and flew a Level 1 high-power rocket end-to-end. Used CAD and OpenRocket to verify stability margin and configuration before committing to fabrication, then carried the vehicle through assembly and pre-flight checks to a clean launch.

Sized the vehicle in OpenRocket and SolidWorks, evaluating stability margin, CG/CP relationship, and motor selection against airframe constraints.
Selected components and executed mechanical assembly, recovery integration, and pre-flight fit checks.
Followed launch-day procedures end-to-end, including pad ops and safe recovery — closing the loop from design intent to flown hardware.

M-003 · NANOLAB Complete MAY 2025 — SEP 2025

Undergraduate Researcher · UTA Nanoscience Materials Lab

Composite Materials & RF Attenuation

Summer research fabricating carbon-based and graphene-reinforced polymer systems, plus a self-directed experiment on radio-frequency signal attenuation through carbon composites — directly relevant to spacecraft structural and antenna integration choices.

Fabricated carbon-based and graphene-reinforced polymer composites and supported development of experimental materials including graphene oxide and hydrogels.
Ran tensile tests and reduced the resulting data, maintaining detailed lab records and technical figures suitable for publication-grade documentation.
Designed and operated an in-house antenna experiment to characterize RF signal attenuation through carbon composite materials.

M-002 · MAE-3307 Complete JAN 2025 — MAY 2025

Coursework · Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics & Control

6-DOF Spacecraft Simulation

Course-long set of MATLAB and Simulink projects covering orbital propagation, attitude dynamics, and rendezvous — culminating in a quaternion-based 6-DOF spacecraft model.

Built orbital-propagation, attitude-dynamics, and rendezvous models in MATLAB and Simulink with verification against analytical cases.
Implemented a quaternion-based 6-DOF spacecraft simulation, capturing both translational and rotational behavior.
Generated technical plots and analysis to evaluate vehicle response under representative mission scenarios.

§ 04 · Education

Training history.

Institutions, degrees, and minors on track.

UNIVERSITY · CURRENT EXP. MAY 2027

University of Texas at Arlington

B.S. Aerospace Engineering
Minors in Mechanical Engineering and Space Systems Engineering.

COLLEGE · COMPLETE GRAD. MAY 2023

South Texas College

Associate of Science in Engineering
Foundational coursework in math, physics, and engineering science.

§ 05 · Coursework

Selected coursework.

Courses most relevant to flight systems, spacecraft, avionics, controls, testing, modeling, and design.

MAE 3307 Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics & Control Done

MAE 4304 Astronautics II Done

MAE 3304 Astronautics I Done

MAE 3306 Flight Performance & Control Done

MAE 3360 Engineering Analysis Done

MAE 2360 Numerical Analysis & Programming Done

MATH 3330 Linear Algebra & Vector Spaces Done

MAE 3308 Space Environment Done

EE 2320 Circuit Analysis Done

MAE 2381 Experimental Methods & Measurement Done

MAE 3000 Undergraduate Research · Composite Materials & RF Attenuation Done

COMS 2302 Professional Technical Communication Done

MAE 3303 Compressible Flow Done

MAE 3302 Incompressible Aerodynamics Done

MAE 3182 Aerodynamics & Fluids Lab Done

MAE 3314 Heat Transfer Done

MAE 4314 Mechanical Vibrations Done

MAE 3315 Aerospace Structural Statics Done

MAE 3324 Structures & Mechanical Behavior of Materials Done

MAE 3181 Materials & Structures Lab Now

Next training block: Spacecraft Systems Engineering · Flight Dynamics · Aerospace Propulsion · Aerospace Vehicle Design I

§ 06 · Service

Leadership & service record.

Roles held in student organizations and competitive teams.

AIAA at UTA

Professional Events Coordinator · Officer

Coordinate professional speaker events for a 530+ member aerospace organization, working with a 20-officer leadership team to drive industry engagement and student professional development.

FEB 2024 — PRESENT

STC Cybersecurity Club

President

Led four CyberPatriot competition teams through national rounds, organized Capture-the-Flag prep, and built hands-on skill with Windows, Linux, Cisco IOS, and core networking.

JAN 2018 — MAR 2020

§ 07 · Contact

Open a channel.

Recruiting · projects · collaboration · technical questions.

Let's talk flight hardware.

Email mr.christianibarra@gmail.com → LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/ibarra-christian → GitHub github.com/EnduranceAeroLabs → Resume Ibarra_Christian_Resume.pdf →