Mechanical engineering alum Plamen Atanasov ’14 is part of the modern space race, helping Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and other commercial launch providers by building hardware for reusable orbital rockets.
Based in Kent, Washington, Atanasov works as a manufacturing engineer on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket program, producing and testing valves for hydraulic and pneumatic systems supporting propulsion and flight controls. Those components are shipped to Cape Canaveral in Florida for integration into rockets designed to carry satellites into orbit before returning to Earth.
Named for astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn stands more than 320 feet tall — roughly the height of a 30-story building.
“Seeing some of the parts that I’ve touched going into space is pretty cool,” says Atanasov, who joined Blue Origin in 2023.
Backed by Bezos, Blue Origin has invested heavily in facilities, equipment and talent.
“We pretty much have no limitations on what we can get our hands on if we can justify it,” Atanasov says.
Originally from Woburn, Atanasov developed an early interest in aviation and aerospace. That interest guided his decision to study mechanical engineering at UMass Lowell, where he immersed himself in hands-on engineering experiences. As a member of the Design-Build-Fly team, he helped make a remote-controlled model aircraft for a national competition.
More important than the aircraft itself were the principles Atanasov carried into his career.
“It’s more about team communication and going through the engineering design cycle,” he says. “Those fundamentals stay true no matter where you end up working.”
Atanasov was also part of the first cohort of the Francis College of Engineering’s Professional Co-op Program. His placements at Vibracoustic and Omni Components gave him experience with manufacturing, quality control and CNC machining.
“Getting exposure to real-world companies and seeing the day-to-day role and responsibility that engineers were doing helped me get my feet wet,” he says.
After graduating, Atanasov built experience across medical devices, HVAC startups and precision machining, developing a strong foundation in manufacturing engineering. Eventually, fellow alumnus Ivan Klimov ’14 encouraged him to apply to Blue Origin.
Following a rigorous, multistage interview process, Atanasov relocated to Washington state to join the New Glenn program. For him, contributing to spaceflight — and to a new era of competition pushing the industry forward — made the cross-country leap worthwhile.
“Not many people get to do rocket components,” he says.
“It was much more affordable, tuition-wise, compared to a lot of the universities in Boston. I had made up my mind in high school that I was not going to be burdened by huge student loans.”