Maleha Khan — From Aviator to Rocket Scientist

Maleha Khan, Portsmouth High School alumna and the GDST’s Trailblazer of the Year, is currently enrolled on a PhD programme on rocket propulsion at the University of Cranfield, having previously worked with the UK Space Agency. With a masters in Engineering in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical specialising in Spacecraft Engineering from University of Southampton, she gained her private pilot’s licence in 2022, at the age of 22, and is – alongside her research role at Cranfield – working towards her commercial pilot’s licence.

Our conversation with Maleha, originally published in the 2025/26 edition of GDST Life Magazine, below.

At 15 years old, Maleha Khan’s world would change forever when she saw the Red Arrows flying squad in action. Propelling her into the complete unknown, she embarked on a path that unfolds along the classic hero’s journey narrative. From the first calling, the hardships, the naysayers, the determination and the reward, Maleha’s journey from Year 10 pupil to pilot and rocket scientist is a testament to her resilience.

Maleha Khan arrives at our online interview fresh from back-to-back meetings in her capacity, then, as External Affairs Officer at UK Space Agency (UKSA), and explains her role there and in turn, the Agency’s work to put the UK into the international space race. “It’s very fast developing,” she says, “and not just over decades or years – it’s changing month by month.” 

This feels a little like a description of Maleha’s own career. Over and above the fact that she has built a vast and extensive CV in an impressively short time, it is her very personal quest, and the obstacles that she has risen to overcome on the way that make her story such a compelling one. The emotional rollercoaster, the drive, the self-belief and courage it takes to forge your own, unique path. 

Born into a family of doctors, and with a natural aptitude for the sciences, life for Maleha looked certain: she would follow her parents and other family members into medicine. Until she saw the Red Arrows at a D-Day Celebration event in 2015 and fell in love. “Literally on that day, I said I wanted to be a pilot. 

For the first time in my life, I had a gut feeling I knew I had to follow,” she says. “This was when I knew this was the only thing I wanted to do.” Maleha’s research (or ‘stalking’ as she puts it) led to her joining the Air Cadets, and in spite of resistance from her parents over her sudden departure from medicine, they supported her and drove her, twice a week, to Cadets. “It was a lot for them,” she concedes, “coming home from work after a long day in the hospital and driving me to and from Cadets.” 

Maleha took her first flight aged 15 at MOD Boscombe Down. And even as she talks about it now, ten years on, her excitement is intense. She recalls everything from the flight suit, boots, helmet and white gloves, the parachute, the barrel rolls and the leap-to-leaps. “It literally opened the door to a career and stamped the seal on the fact that this is what I’m going to do.” 

She worked hard, won flying scholarships along the way, and in pursuit of getting her pilot’s licence in 2022, learnt to fly five different types of aircraft. At the same time, she studied Aerospace Engineering at University of Southampton, which she chose because, as she puts it, “Aerospace Engineering was the most connected to flying, and it was also the most challenging degree. I learned a lot not just about planes and the engineering behind planes, but also space. And that’s where space was introduced into my life.” Her future now – as a rocket propulsion PhD researcher with her sights on also becoming a commercial pilot – could take her in any number of directions. “Aviation is great, aviation is cool, but space is just phenomenal and the things that are happening in it are enormous. 

“I want to go back to my 15-year-old self again and re-teach myself to follow [my] dreams even if people are telling you not to. I had loads of people say to me that I shouldn’t do a degree if I wanted to be a pilot. And I’ve had people say to me you don’t need to become a rocket scientist PhD researcher. But then equally, just because other people don’t think it’s a good idea is not a good enough reason not to do it.” All the way through, Maleha has fought hard to overcome setbacks – from re-applying for numerous scholarships until she succeeded, to the many jobs she wasn’t offered. She has faced strong opposition – albeit well-intentioned – and says there have been a lot of tears and insecurities along the way, a lot of arguments, and that she has felt very afraid and alone at times. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in tears, ever since I failed in my first scholarship application and felt like my world had ended.”

It has been hard work. But Maleha has never been afraid of that, and she is now on the brink of becoming master of her own destiny – completing her own personal hero’s journey. When asked if she thought she was brave to be forging her own path so decisively, she hesitates, “I know the more sensible option right now is to get an airline job and start earning money, so choosing my heart over my brain… yeah, I think I’m being brave.”

GDST Life Alumnae Magazine