Fall Fellow and Spacex Engineer Thomas Lipp ’04 Returns to the Hill

Last Friday, Thomas Lipp ’04 returned to the Hill as the 2023 Fall Fellow to speak about his journey from Hopkins to SpaceX. Since 2014, Dr. Lipp has been a Guidance Navigation and Control Engineer at SpaceX, working on trajectory optimization, both for landing and for more general trajectory planning. He is proud of writing the landing burn guidance algorithm that helps land the SpaceX rockets.

During his presentation, Dr. Lipp shared the science behind rocket ship launches and landings, while also imparting his personal wisdom about pursuing one's passions and achieving their desired trajectory.

Our Fellows program was established in 2005 to enrich the Hopkins learning experience by exposing students to alumni who can inspire, challenge, engage and educate by sharing their unique life experiences. 

Following his presentation, Dr. Lipp attended classes and held extended conversations with Hopkins students and faculty. Click here for the highlights of the presentation.