Drew Russ is predicting space weather and helping put Mobile on the aerospace map
Drew Russ believes Mobile can potentially be the country’s next hub for the aerospace industry. He is the CEO of Aspect Aerospace, where he and his team are pioneering solutions to address challenges posed by space weather.
“We invented a new type of space weather sensor,” he says. “We’re able to measure space weather thousands of times more accurately than is being measured now. As a result, we can have what’s basically like weather radar, but for space weather, and show where it is and forecast it thousands of times more accurately than it’s being tracked now, and provide actionable warnings to satellite operators.”
They recently designed, built and launched Mobile’s first satellite into space.
“It was a project called JagSat-1 with the University of South Alabama, and our company, Aspect Aerospace, spun out of that project,” he says. “We designed the entire satellite from scratch, including making the computers, power system, solar panels, structure, etc., ourselves.”
Though Russ was born and raised in Mobile, he left Alabama to pursue a career in engineering in Seattle. After a few years, he felt a calling to return and contribute to the development of his hometown. Recognizing Mobile’s untapped potential as a hub for aerospace innovation, Russ founded Aspect Aerospace with a clear goal in mind: revolutionize space weather monitoring and propel Mobile into the forefront of the space technology sector.
He envisions Mobile as a city poised for exponential growth in the aerospace sector, thanks to its strategic location, manufacturing capabilities and a pool of workforce-ready graduates from universities like his alma mater, the University of South Alabama.
Here, Russ talks about why he loves Mobile and lists eight of his favorite eateries. (Who could pick just one in Mobile?)
This is Alabama: What is one thing people across the country should know about Alabama?
Drew Russ: I grew up here and the whole time I was like, “Get me outta here, man! It’s too small.”
I went to Seattle and the interesting thing is that I didn’t realize until leaving that there are a lot of things that make Mobile unique. For one thing, living in Seattle, every single person in Seattle has moved there in the past two years – no one’s from there, which is fine. But there was no unifying culture in the city.
Thinking back, there’s just so much stuff about Mobile that is uniquely Mobile. I took that for granted. There’s the obvious stuff, like Mardi Gras. But then, even all the buildings have a certain style. There’s gumbo and seafood. We have a distinct culture in Mobile, and it’s one I like being part of. I didn’t realize that not everywhere has that.
TIA: What’s the most beautiful place in Alabama?
Russ: Mobile! I’m a big fan of Mobile. I really like its color palette. It’s weird – I’ve never said this out loud and I’m kind of realizing how weird this is now, but if I were to describe the color, I’d say gray. Usually, gray is considered really bad. But in Mobile, it’s not gray like rain but gray like an oyster, and I like that. There’s the unique shade of the water, and the trees are a dark green. So it all takes on this really specific color palette that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
TIA: How would you describe the people of Alabama?
Russ: Once again, you take it for granted until you go somewhere else. People talk a lot here. I’ll just be walking around, and someone will just walk up like, “Hey, how’s it going?” I didn’t realize how friendly people are until I came back.
I’m kind of the worst person ever because I’ll get DoorDash really often. In other cities, they just leave it at the door. In Mobile, even if I say it’s fine to leave it at the door, every single time the delivery person waits to talk to me. We’ll talk for like 10 or 20 minutes.
It’s just something about the people down here. They can just talk and talk. They’re super friendly and outgoing.
TIA: What’s one restaurant you recommend in Mobile?
Russ: I can’t pick just one because I love food so much. I don’t even know how to even articulate an answer.
There are a couple of pillars of Mobile cuisine like The Oyster House on the Causeway and Wintzell’s Oyster House here in Mobile. Those are the absolute staples.
When I moved back to Mobile, I felt like all these restaurants downtown completely rebranded. It’s fun to go to downtown now. You can really walk around and experience the city and it’s awesome. I live near Squid Ink, and I go there really often. There’s a ramen place called Slurp Society that’s really good. I’ve been going to this place called Grace that has a rooftop bar and it’s really cute. And, of course, there’s Dauphin’s and Dumbwaiter. They are classic, and expensive, but they’re world-class restaurants.
But this one last restaurant, Nova Espresso – I work out of there every single day. It’s my go-to place to work, and it’s awesome. There are no coffee shops in Seattle that could hold a candle to Nova here in Mobile.
This story was previously published by This is Alabama. Want to read more good news about Alabama? Sign up for the This is Alabama newsletter here.