Space Systems Welcomes Industry Speakers

16 June 2022

MSc module, Space Systems, running 21-23 June 2022, will welcome industry speakers including from the European Space Agency and In-Space Missions.

As part of our MSc programmes, UCL Centre for Systems Engineering run the Space Systems module. As well as our own experts, this module usually boasts an impressive array of speakers from industry, and 2022 is no exception.

This module provides a broad understanding of the space sector by exploring why the space sector is important - socially, economically and politically, and its relationship to the contexts of technology, systems engineering and project management.

For the sessions looking at the applications of space missions we have Asimina Syriou and Antonios Maillis from the European Space Agency . To support the session on what makes up a space mission we have Dr Nigel Wright, recently retired from Thales Alenia Space, and looking at low-cost approaches we have Doug Liddle, CEO of In-Space Missions

Ian Raper, the module lead, said “we are so grateful to our speakers contributing to our teaching. The incorporation of current real-world experience is so valuable to our students, allowing them to better connect theory to practice. It is also good that our students see a range of possible future careers and hopefully some will be encouraged into the space sector.”

Asimina Syriou, Space Applications Engineer at the European Space Agency

Asimina Syriou is an experienced Earth observation specialist with a track record of working across space industry, the United Nations, academia and NGOs focused on the research and development of EO and geospatial applications dedicated to supporting humanitarian relief, social justice, wildlife conservation and sustainable development.

Her current role at the European Space Agency involves engagement in a dynamic range of activities in support of an expanding effort to further the exploitation of satellite technologies and feeding them into diverse downstream business applications.

Prior to joining ESA, Asimina was working at the Satellite Applications Catapult. Her role involved close engagement in cutting-edge development projects and activities, providing EO/geospatial technical input within both collaborative and commercial R&D projects.

Asimina holds a Ptychion in Geography from Harokopio University of Athens and a Master's degree in Geoscience and Remote Sensing from the engineering department of the University of Edinburgh. She is a fellow at the Royal Geographical Society and since November 2019 she has been a mentor for Women in Geospatial.

Antonios Maillis, Space Applications Engineer at the European Space Agency

Antonios is an experienced Space Applications Engineer with MSc in Satellite Communications and Space Systems and BEng in Electronic Engineering. He has extensive knowledge in Systems level analysis and design and is able to approach downstream space solutions from an end-to-end perspective. He has been a Seraphim Space Camp Mentor for Start-ups, a Mentor for Business development (primarily Start-ups) for the Satellite Application Catapult and a member of Ofcom’s Satellite Consultative Committee for matters related to Spectrum.

Antonios has extensive knowledge in Project Management with certifications in Six Sigma and MoR (Management of Risk). He is proficient in DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) approach, with a large amount of experience in Waterfall and Agile methodologies.

Antonios’ projects portfolio involves work in the domains of IoT, Hybrid Communications, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Maritime, Aviation, Connectivity for emergency services, Connectivity for rural regions, Offshore Connectivity, e-health, A.I for downstream applications, Structural monitoring.

Dr Nigel Wright, Engineering Manager (Retired)

Dr Nigel Wright was the Engineering Manager for the Rosetta spacecraft platform during the design phase in the late 1990’s. Nigel has spent over 37 years working on various scientific spacecraft missions including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Planck mission to map the Cosmic Microwave Background and Mars Express/Beagle 2 and a number of European Earth Observation missions (ERS-2, ENVISAT and EarthCARE) aimed at understanding the Earth’s climate. His final project prior to his retirement in 2022 was the Copernicus CO2M mission which is concerned with the monitoring of anthropogenic CO2 production.

Doug Liddle, CEO In-Space Missions

After leaving Oxford in 1993 with an MA in Physics, Doug joined the Defence Research Agency (now QinetiQ) to work on all things space, including radar surveillance, space radiation, spacecraft dynamics and military communications systems.

In 2001, Doug moved to Surrey Satellites to become a spacecraft systems engineer. Over the following years, he developed several new spacecraft including Europe’s first Galileo demonstrator satellite, GIOVE-A; ran the Science and Exploration business unit; and delivered multiple satellites and optical imaging payloads including the UK’s first cubesat.

In 2015, Doug created In-Space Missions, a company founded to develop new pace enabled services and offer expert consultancy to industry, academia and government. Since 2015, Doug has variously run the UK’s rocket programme; led the technical development of a disruptive innovation centre; developed a commercial demonstration platform for space; and initiated a company delivering real time video and immersive experiences from space.