Loay Elbasyouni, Speed School Grad, Wins UofL's 2025 Inclusive Excellence Award

Loay Elbasyouni is an award-winning engineer, entrepreneur, and space innovator best known for helping design and build NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter, the first aircraft to achieve powered flight on another planet. As lead electrical engineer, he developed the power and propulsion systems that enabled the historic 2021 flight, proving that aerial exploration is possible in Mars’ thin atmosphere. His contributions earned him and the team the Robert J. Collier Trophy, NASA’s Group Achievement Award, and the Smithsonian’s Michael Collins Trophy for Current Achievement.

With over two decades of experience, Loay has led and contributed to breakthrough technologies across aerospace, electric vehicles, robotics, and renewable energy. He has held engineering and leadership roles at NASA, Blue Origin, Ford, General Electric, and AeroVironment—advancing drone systems, avionics, propulsion platforms, and intelligent energy solutions. At Blue Origin, he led the electrical systems design for several rocket engines, including the BE-3U, BE-4, and BE-7.

Currently, Loay is CEO of AstraQua, a deep-tech company focused on multi-agent, low-power AI systems for remote and extreme environments. His work explores the intersection of advanced computing, sustainability, and real-world impact, bringing intelligence to places where human presence is limited or impossible.

Born into a refugee family recognized by the United Nations, Loay overcame significant barriers to pursue his dream of becoming an engineer. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering (’04, ’05), a foundation he credits with launching his career.

Loay serves on the Advisory Board for Transformative Leadership at the University of California, Riverside and is a passionate STEM advocate, mentoring and inspiring future engineers worldwide.