Laura is the Space Manufacturing Lead at the Satellite Applications Catapult, supporting the space sector through advanced manufacturing for space, including 3D printing rocket engines in metal, and participating in other microgravity and in-orbit servicing and manufacturing activities. Laura is also the CMO and cofounder of Radian Systems, a start-up providing thermal analysis solutions for space. In the past she has worked as AIT and Systems Engineer for two ESA science missions, PLATO and ATHENA, at the Spanish equivalent of a space agency (INTA).
Laura graduated as an Aerospace Engineer from Universidad de León, her hometown, with a year in University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. She received her masters from University Carlos III of Madrid, doing her thesis on Model Based Systems Engineering in collaboration with SENER Aerospace. She is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at EAE Business School. During her bachelor’s and master’s studies she participated and led several practical collaborative engineering projects, including 3D printers, rockets and cubesats.
Within SGAC she is currently Spain NPoC and organizer of the Global Satellite Tracking Initiative.
History with SGAC
I am passionate about space and I love working in this sector but not only because of the interesting projects and technological challenges that it implies, but above all, because of the collaborative atmosphere and amazing people and professionals working in this industry. I think this is why I enjoy working for SGAC so much, because it brings me the opportunity of meeting so many inspiring and enriching young space enthusiasts around the world. I’ve spent a lot of my free time in the last years in SGAC activities and it is so worth it contributing to this great organization!
My first involvement with SGAC was the SG[Spain] 2019, where I supported the team with sponsorships, logistics and taking pictures during the event. It was a great event and the spark that we needed in Spain to start growing and strengthening the young space community. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t hesitate to join Pilar and NPoCs Sergio and Francho to prepare the proposal for ESGW 2020 in Madrid. Madrid got selected but unfortunately due to COVID we had to postpone and eventually change the format of the event to online. The amazing organizing team endured almost 2 years of uncertainties, cancellations and frustration but ended up delivering a really successful online event with attendees from all over the world. It was a challenging event in an unprecedented situation – all of us would have liked to be able to share some tapas and sangría in Madrid!
As NPoC we have been focusing on strengthening the Spanish SGAC community as well as supporting the organization of the SG[Spain] in June 2022. We have also established several MoUs and are trying to get SGAC closer to undergraduate students.
In the last year, thanks to the Incubator programme, we have developed the first “hands-on” activity within SGAC, the Global Satellite Tracking Initiative. We received almost 200 applications from more than 60 countries from which 10 teams have been selected to receive and set up a ground station kit and download images and data from satellites with the antenna. Designing the kit, the step by step instructions, doing the selection process and coordinating the shipments around the world hasn’t been easy but it will create positive impact around the world, helping the selected teams from Benin, Bolivia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe learn about satellite communications and perform hands-on outreach activities in their regions. Some of the teams have already been successful at downloading images!
