Proud Gunggandji man and former Royal Australian Air Force veteran Daniel Joinbee hopes that one of the first people to walk on Mars will be an Indigenous astronaut.

The First Nations entrepreneur founded Gunggandji Aerospace - Australia's only 100 per cent Aboriginal and veteran-owned aerospace consulting and services business - to create opportunities for young Indigenous people in Australia's aviation, aerospace, and defence industries.

Gunggandji Aerospace also works with defence, aviation, aerospace, and government clients to solve complex technical and operational problems.

"The first person to walk on Mars is a student in school right now," Mr Joinbee told the Indigenous Business Review.

"Why can't it be a young First Nations person?

"To get a First Nations astronaut up there, I think that would blow the house down for our mob. "We have to make sure young people can see those possibilities, access them and believe they belong there."

The 36-year-old said he was working as an air traffic controller for the Australian Air Force when it dawned on him that there were no meaningful pathways for young First Nations people or veterans to enter the space, defence, and aviation sectors.

So, in 2021, he set up Gunggandji Aerospace to encourage more Indigenous people to consider a career in space.

"I've got the experience, knowledge, and industry background to build something that could add real value to the sector," he said. "But also, it's how do we get young First Nations kids engaged in this really exciting industry because space is fun. Space is exciting."

One of the initiatives launched by Mr Joinbee is the Raising Horizons program, which aims to empower Indigenous youth, particularly girls, to pursue careers in aviation.

Since launching in 2025, Raising Horizons has engaged more than 200 students through 15 events across Cairns and Townsville.

One of their key goals is to address the historically low representation and retention of First Nations people across the aviation, aerospace, and defence industries, which is really due to a lack of exposure and visible pathways.

Raising Horizons recently teamed up with Cairns Airport to provide students with opportunities to experience real workplaces and learn directly from industry professionals.

"Raising Horizons is First Nations led, grounded in Culture and built around the young people taking part," Mr Joinbee said. "It nurtures curiosity and ambition, creates meaningful exposure, and helps young people see pathways they may not have known existed.

"You can't build a career in something you don't know exists. Talent exists everywhere; opportunity should too."

Mr Joinbee said he "accidentally" joined the military after attending a Career Expo in Melbourne in 2006

He jokingly said that all it took to get him to sign on the dotted line was an offer of a free laptop.

"All I could think about was surviving to the end of the week to try and get some deadly laptops so that I could play Call of Duty," he laughed.

"I didn't know what air traffic control was, so I had to look it up for my job. "But by joining the military I realised there's all these different jobs in aviation.

"There is so much lack of exposure to what's out there, so I thought, how can we show the kids the opportunities that exist?"

Mr Joinbee's passion for helping young First Nations kids pursue a career in the aviation and space sector is hypnotic and infectious.

He genuinely wants Indigenous youth to reach for the stars.

The Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Veterans Association director believes the time is ripe for First Nations people and veterans to consider careers in the space sector, with the federal government expected to create 20,000 jobs by 2030.

The initiative is part of a broader plan to triple the size of the Australian space sector to $12 billion.

However, Mr Joinbee is frustrated that other First Nations entrepreneurs haven't leapt into the aviation and space sector.

"I'm the only original aerospace consultancy, but after five years, I was hoping there'd be more," he said.

"Where are our next entrepreneurs that are leaning into this space?" he said. "But by pushing through some of these boundaries, hopefully it will make it easier for the next entrepreneurs that are starting their business and want to have a goal in the defence or aviation industry."

Supply Nation chief executive Kate Russell said one of the most rewarding parts of her job was seeing young Indigenous entrepreneurs and young Mob succeed.

"Gunggandji Aerospace is leading the way by creating innovative, non-traditional career pathways that are making a real difference in the lives of young Indigenous Australians," she said.

"Through Raising Horizons, young people are gaining the skills, confidence and opportunities to help shape Australia's future economic prosperity while making a lasting contribution to their communities."