Course Director and Speaker
Claudia Anita Maria Fiorentino started her career in the space sector joining Alenia Spazio spa (ALS now Thales Alenia Space Italia) where she has he held different positions in the field of Satellite AIV/AIT working 12 years in several GEO and LEO TLC satellite projects (SICRAL, Globalstar, ARTEMIS, Italsat FM2), and LOE OE projects as Radarsat-2 and PRIMA, the TAS “Common Platform” for LEO Earth Observation programmes. She joined the Italian Space Agency (ASI) in 2006 where she has been involved in the Cosmo-SkyMed integrated ASI/It-MoD Programme Office as E2E System Verification Manager of the first generation and then Mission Manager of the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation Programme. At ESA since 2017 as Senior Satellite System Development Engineer in the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications (CSC) she is also currently the CSC Directorate Security Officer.
Course Director and Speaker
Martina manages the EURIALO project of the Connectivity and Secure Communications (CSC) directorate at the European Space Agency (ESA) for the design and demonstration of the first satellite-based independent aviation surveillance system. She also covers the role of system engineer of the Iris programme.
Since 2018, she has been responsible for all the system aspects concerning Iris project implementation, targeting the development of a satellite-based communication system for Air Traffic Management (ATM) and the design of its long-term evolution.
She joined ESA in 2010 in the Communication systems and techniques section of the RF Payload system division, Technology, Engineering and Quality Directorate where for more than 8 years she has been responsible of many Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) projects, focusing on high throughput satellite systems end-to-end performance, successfully developing technologies to improve Satellite Communications and contributing to the related standards.
Guest Speaker
Constellation Architect
Thales Alenia Space
Jean-François Boutillon, from Thales Alenia Space, is a senior constellation system architect. He has been working on constellations for more than 12 years, on many different constellations (including Iridium, lightspeed, O3B…) from early capture phase to full turnkey constellation project. He has initiated several tools for constellation sizing and architecting(capacity computation, optimal coverage under constraint, optimal ground segment …). Jean-François Boutillon is also involved in training futures generations of engineers by giving courses in universities and engineering schools, and by training newly hired people in Thales Alenia space that aim at working in constellations.
Guest Speaker and business case simulation coordinator
Thales Alenia Space
"I graduated with an engineering degree from Institut National des sciences appliquées (INSA - https://www.insa-toulouse.fr) in Toulouse/France with a Speciality in Mathematics and Modelling. I joined Thales Alenia Space in 2000 as System Engineer. I have contributed to the design of a DVB-S2/RCS based Satcom Product. I have led the development of a GNSS simulator constellation under a French Space Agency contract and contributed to the design of a GNSS based location based service platform. As Telecom System Architect, I have led the assessment of the Iridium mobile satellite system capacity as part of the development of the constellation. In 2016, I turned to marketing and carried out market analyses as well as value propositions on space solutions and developed a business case tool for satcom markets. I am currently a senior marketing manager in charge of the telecom segment."
Guest Speaker and business case simulation coordinator
“I joined Thales Alenia Space in the UK in 2019 to help develop UK business beyond the existing perimeter. From 2014-2019 I was the senior Business Development Manager for SCISYS UK Space Team, also expanding its perimeter beyond ESA business, including successful sales to EUMETSAT, OneWeb and “new space” companies. From 2007 until 2014 was the SCISYS UK Ground Segment Architect and project leader designing mission operation systems for Galileo, ESA and EUMETSAT. From 2011-2014 was a UK Space Agency representative to the Consultative Committee for Space Data Services as an expert in mission operations systems. From 2000 until 2007, designing and developing Space mission operations software for ESA Rosetta, Mars-Express, Beagle-2 (with the University of Leicester and JPL), Smart-1, Venus express, designing and developing MoD systems for the Land domain (secondment to Thales). From 1992 until 2000, with Thales designing and developing MoD software for radar processing, Link 16, and secure network management. Chartered Engineer (Software) with the British Computer Society. Batchelor of Engineering (hons) in Systems and Systems Engineering from the University of Portsmouth."
Guest Speaker
Miguel Manteiga Bautista is the Galileo Second Generation Project Manager, inside the Directorate of Navigation of the European Space Agency.
Miguel Manteiga Bautista obtained his Bachelor and Master in Science degrees on Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Valencia in 1999.
He also obtained in 2005 an International Executive Master on Business Administration from the IE Business School.
After spending his early carrier in the field of development and deployment of high speed telecommunication networks in Telefonica SA, he moved to the ESA Galileo Team in 2001.
Throughout the last 21 years, he has developed his career in the Galileo Programme, in a wide variety of positions covering all areas of the Galileo environment (space, ground, user, launcher, system, security and operations).
In 2015, he took over the position of Head of GNSS/Galileo Evolution Programme and he was confirmed as Galileo Second Generation Project Manager in July 2020.
He is responsible for the overall project-level implementation of G2G Phase CDE activities in close coordination with the European Commission and European GNSS Agency representatives.
Speaker
Anu Ojha OBE is a member of the Executive Committee of the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and director for the Championing Space Directorate. Included in his portfolio is leadership of the agency’s International and ESA Policy teams as well as UKSA’s public and parliamentary affairs, communications and education, skills development and inspiration programmes.
Prior to joining the Agency in May 2023, Ojha was the founder of the UK National Space Academy programme and a director of the National Space Centre. Appointed honorary professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester in 2016, he is a co-investigator in the University’s programme for nuclear power applications for exploration and has also been involved in data analysis from ESA’s Rosetta, Mars Express and SOHO missions. He continues to teach on the University’s MSc course in space exploration systems specialising in human survival in extreme environments.
From 2018 to 2023, Ojha was a member of ESA’s Human Spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC) based at ESTEC.
Guest Speaker
SES
Mr. Ruy Pinto was appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at SES in January 2019. He had been the Deputy Technology Officer since 2017 and took on the additional role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) at SES in 2018, responsible for starting a Digital Transformation program at SES.
Mr. Pinto joined SES from Inmarsat where he covered various technical and managerial roles between 1990 to 2016, including two years as CTO of the company. His last position at Inmarsat, from December 2013, was Group Chief Operations Officer (COO), responsible for all Inmarsat operational functions.
His external positions portfolio included two years as the Chairman of UKSpace, the UK space industry trade association, and four years as a Director and VP of Space for the Association of Defence, Security and Aerospace Companies (ADS).
Mr Pinto has just completed a six-year appointment as Non-Executive Director of the Space Application Catapult, established by the UK government to foster the development of space applications in the UK. Previously, Mr. Pinto worked with VSAT data communication networks and data communications software. Mr. Pinto holds a degree in Electronics Engineering and completed post-graduate studies in Digital Telecommunications Systems, both from the Rio de Janeiro Catholic University (PUC-RJ).
Mr. Pinto is a dual British and Brazilian national.
Guest Speaker - round table coordinator
Javier de Pablos has been supporting ESA Member States Industry for the development of novel concepts, technologies and evolution of products and systems in the Satellite Communications domain for more than seven years, in the Connectivity and Secure Communications (CSC) directorate at ESA.
Javier de Pablos has worked in the research and development of satellite solutions since the start of his career. His work focuses on the digital transformation of the satellite ground segment area, in particular, the evolution of satellite management and control, the transition of legacy hardware components to software-based solutions (e.g. Digital IF ecosystem), and the use of new techniques for the orchestration and automation of satellite operations (e.g. Artificial Intelligence).
Javier de Pablos previously held various positions in Industry (GMV, Avanti Communications, Indra). He graduated from the Polytechnic University of Madrid with a degree in Telecommunication Engineering and also holds an MSc and an MBA.
Guest Speaker
Patrick is a satellite systems engineering leader with expertise in adapting terrestrial mobile communications technology for use over satellite as well as the design and operation of large-scale multi-beam satellite communications networks.
Patrick has been at the Mobile Satellite Services Operator Inmarsat for the last 20 years in a variety of roles in Operations, Product Strategy, Research and Development covering ground-segment, user terminal and satellite network operations.
Prior to Inmarsat, Patrick was an engineering manager working on fixed and broadcast telecommunications satellite payloads at EADS Astrium (now Airbus Space and Defence). Patrick holds an BSc and MSc in Physics from the University of Birmingham.
Guest Speaker
Avanti
Paris’ 17-year career to date has focused on satellite communications. Paris is currently the Director of Systems Engineering Space at Avanti Communications, responsible for Operations and Engineering activities related to Avanti’s space segment, and encompassing responsibilities such as operations planning, capacity and resource management, end-to-end design and dimensioning, to name a few.
Paris has previously held the posts of Capacity Manager and Senior Satellite Communications Systems Engineer at Avanti Communications, as well as Strategic Services Lease Engineer at Inmarsat and Research Fellow at the University of Surrey.
Paris holds a BEng in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from Glasgow University, as well as an MSc in Mobile and Satellite Communications and a PhD in Satellite Communications, both from the University of Surrey.
This course gives a complete introductory overview of satellite communications and navigation.
