Abbie Hutty

Abbie Hutty is Lead Systems Engineer for Lunar Rover Missions at ispace Europe, where she combines aerospace expertise with strategic design thinking to advance commercial space exploration. She holds a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Surrey and recently completed a Master's in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design, alongside 12 years at Airbus working on ExoMars and NASA's Mars Sample Return mission. Elected Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers at just 29, she remains its youngest ever Fellow and has earned recognition including IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year and a place on British Airways' BA100 list. Through her speaking engagements, from UN conferences to BBC programmes alongside Brian Cox, Abbie inspires organisations to embrace innovation and empowers the next generation to pursue ambitious careers in engineering and space technology.

At just 29 years old, Abbie Hutty became the youngest person ever elected Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a historic achievement that marked her as one of the most promising talents in British aerospace engineering. Today, she serves as Lead Systems Engineer for Lunar Rover Missions at ispace Europe in Luxembourg, where she guides the development of spacecraft designed to leave the first commercial tracks on the Moon. Her career trajectory reflects a rare combination of technical excellence and strategic vision, shaped by 12 years at Airbus Defence and Space working on Europe's ExoMars mission and NASA's Mars Sample Return programme, followed by a Master's degree in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design, which she completed in 2026.

Abbie's credentials extend well beyond her record-breaking fellowship. As a chartered engineer with a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Surrey, she has held roles spanning Lead Structures Engineer, Systems Engineer, Delivery Manager, and Principal Systems Engineer on some of the most ambitious planetary exploration missions ever conceived. Her technical contributions to ExoMars, Europe's first rover mission to Mars, and the Sample Fetch Rover for the NASA-ESA collaboration demonstrate her ability to solve complex engineering challenges at the highest level. Recognition has followed accordingly: she has received the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award, the Royal Academy of Engineering Rising Star Award, and the Women of the Future Award in the Science category. In 2019, British Airways named her one of the BA100, honouring 100 individuals who represent the best values of modern Britain in the airline's centenary year. She is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Abbie's impact reaches far beyond the technical sphere. Through appearances on BBC Stargazing Live with Brian Cox and Dara Ó Briain, the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, and documentaries for the BBC and Discovery Channel, she makes the excitement of space exploration accessible to millions. Her speaking engagements, including a TEDx talk and addresses at United Nations conferences, inspire organisations to embrace ambitious goals whilst demonstrating how engineering thinking applies across sectors. For young people considering STEM careers, Abbie serves as a tangible example that complex, meaningful work in aerospace is achievable. Audiences leave her presentations with practical insights into innovation, resilience, and strategic problem-solving, alongside a renewed sense of what becomes possible when technical expertise meets bold vision. Her work ensures that the next generation sees engineering not as abstract equations, but as the discipline that will define humanity's future beyond Earth.