Artūras Straižys is the Lead Hardware Engineer at Aurora Avionics, and was the very first member of staff. He is the mastermind behind the circuitry that keeps our avionics systems soaring in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. We sat down with Artūras to find out what drives him, both in the lab and out in the real world.
Q: Hi Artūras, what’s your role at Aurora Avionics?
Artūras: I’m the Lead Hardware Engineer here at Aurora Avionics, a role that continues to evolve as the company and our technology grow. Engineering is all about interpreting requirements, both the spoken and unspoken, and transforming them into practical, resilient designs. The hardware we build must meet the needs of a diverse customer base, endure the extreme conditions of launch and space operation, and support Aurora Avionics’s long-term vision.
At Aurora Avionics, I’ve had the opportunity to shape our hardware approach from the ground up, creating systems that can thrive in environments where there’s no room for compromise.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
Artūras: “Typical” is a generous term in engineering. My days are made up of many of the same elements, but never in the same proportion. Some hours are spent immersed in schematic or PCB design; others are devoted to reading and writing documentation, or working through technical challenges with colleagues and partners. Communication, internally and externally, is a meaningful part of the role, because so much hardware design depends on shared understanding. And then there’s the conceptual work: taking a moment to pause before diving into a design, questioning assumptions, and exploring requirements that aren’t always straightforward to define. That pause is critical.
Q: How did you get into avionics and aerospace?
Artūras: I always knew I was going to be an engineer. When I was young, shows like MythBusters and Robot Wars fueled that curiosity, especially the joy of building something robust enough to survive unusual conditions. Aerospace attracted me for similar reasons. It forces hardware into environments where every parameter becomes a challenge: temperature, altitude, and vibration. The systems you design are still governed by the same physical laws, but those laws are stretched to their limits. It’s a universe where the constraints themselves become an invitation to be creative. It is an arena that asks more of the design, and in turn, gives more back in satisfaction when it works.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working with the Aurora team?
Artūras: The team here is incredible. Everyone is smart, passionate, and driven. It’s inspiring to work alongside people who genuinely care about what they’re building. Enthusiasm is contagious.
Q: Is there a mentor, book, or lesson that’s shaped your approach to work?
Artūras: When I was a teenager, I spent a lot of time with the book Hacking the Xbox. It nudged me from general engineering toward avionics by opening my eyes to what it means to truly understand how hardware behaves. And The Art of Electronics has been a constant companion throughout my career; I still open it almost every week. It’s one of those rare books that evolves alongside you, offering new perspectives no matter how experienced you become and keeps you thinking critically about design.
Q: When you’re not designing hardware, what keeps you busy?
Artūras: My children keep me very happily occupied. I love playing sports with them, fishing, and simply spending time together. Basketball is a long-standing passion of mine as well, whether I’m playing or watching. Weekends are for family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Q: Finally, if you could have invented any piece of technology, what would it be?
Artūras: The bicycle. It’s a masterpiece of elegant simplicity. More than a century after its invention, its core design remains unchanged, and it continues to bring joy and freedom to people everywhere. It’s instantly understood by anyone who sees it. To me, that is the hallmark of truly great engineering, something so intuitive and enduring that it feels like it has always existed. That’s the kind of invention that makes you smile and think, “why didn’t I think of that?” We live in the museum of human ingenuity!
Speaking with Artūras offers a window into the mindset that drives Aurora’s engineering: thoughtful, rigorous, and always reaching for the elegant solution in the face of complex constraints.
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