Every trusted satellite image begins with careful calibration. Behind the scenes, teams across Vantor work to ensure imagery is accurate, reliable, and ready for customers around the world.
This summer, four interns are helping support that mission as members of Vantor's Radiometric Calibration, Assessment, and Monitoring (RadCAM) team. For some, it's their first opportunity to apply classroom learning in a professional environment. For others, it's a chance to build on relationships and experience gained over multiple summers with the team.
Supporting the Absolute Radiometric Calibration (AbsRadCal) functional area, Brandon Navejas, Lisha Maganti, Andrew Bruno, and Munisettha (Ethan) Peou are contributing to projects involving machine learning, robotics, software development, and field operations that help ensure Vantor delivers accurate, trusted satellite imagery for scientific, commercial, and government applications.
Under the leadership of Wendy Carande, Senior Manager, Radiometric Calibration, Assessment, and Monitoring, the interns are gaining valuable hands-on experience while making meaningful contributions to ongoing calibration initiatives.
For Carande, one of the most rewarding aspects of the internship program is seeing students develop new skills while contributing to meaningful work.
"Our interns are contributing to projects that support the quality of Vantor's satellite imagery," Carande said. "They're gaining hands-on experience with machine learning, robotics, software development, and field operations while helping the team improve calibration processes. It's rewarding to see them develop new skills and make meaningful contributions to the work we do."
Brandon Navejas
Andrew Bruno
Lisha Maganti
Ethan Peou
Final Presentation
Brandon Navejas
Returning for his fifth summer with the AbsRadCal team, Brandon Navejas has become a familiar face within the organization.
An Astrophysics student at the University of Colorado Boulder, Brandon serves as the team's senior intern, helping prepare for the 2026 field calibration campaign while mentoring fellow interns working on robotics and machine learning projects.
"It's been a great pleasure to learn alongside the leading experts in absolute radiometric calibration and contribute to such critical work here at Vantor," Brandon said.
Outside of work, Brandon is the founder and president of the CU Wrestling Club, growing the organization from zero to 188 active members.
Lisha Maganti
Lisha Maganti, an Aerospace Engineering Sciences student at the University of Colorado Boulder, is applying her engineering, CAD, and artificial intelligence experience to the development of an AI-assisted calibration site discovery tool while also supporting the design and testing of a robotic BRDF measurement platform.
She was interested in Vantor because it offered the opportunity for a hands-on aerospace internship and because of the company's connection to CU's Colorado Space Grant program.
She's especially looking forward to learning more about radiometric calibration and gaining a deeper understanding of the physics and mathematics behind the team's work.
A fun fact: Lisha has flown and landed an airplane twice.
Andrew Bruno
Andrew Bruno, an Aerospace Engineering Sciences major at the University of Colorado Boulder, is contributing to both the machine learning calibration site discovery effort and the BRDF measurement robot project.
Drawn to Vantor by the company's work with satellite imagery, Andrew is especially excited to expand his knowledge of machine learning.
"Learning how to create machine learning models for identifying satellite calibration sites is a skill I know I'll be able to apply to future projects," Andrew said.
One fun fact about Andrew: he's never finished a game of Monopoly.
Munisettha (Ethan) Peou
A 2025 Astrophysics graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder, Ethan has supported field calibration campaigns with the team since 2022.
Over the past several years, he has contributed to projects ranging from field site monitoring systems to satellite sensor health metrics. This summer, his focus is on applying machine learning techniques to improve calibration processes and data analysis.
One of the reasons Ethan continues returning to Vantor is the opportunity to work alongside a team he enjoys while contributing to work that supports many of the company's products and missions.
Outside of engineering, Ethan has carved his own longbow.
Building Confidence in Every Image
Whether they're developing machine learning tools, supporting field calibration campaigns, or helping automate new processes, these interns are contributing to work that helps ensure customers can trust the satellite imagery Vantor delivers every day.
Their experiences demonstrate how meaningful, hands-on opportunities prepare the next generation of engineers and scientists while strengthening the teams and technologies driving Vantor's mission forward.