Tell us about your job…

I work for Production Activity Control at Thales Alenia Space’s L’Aquila facility for the Industry Electronics Competence Center Italy, and I’m responsible for shop floor control and subcontracting.

The Production Activity Control department focuses on production goals by executing the master production schedule and the material requirements plan. At the same time, it must make good use of labor and machines, minimize work-in-process inventory, and ensure customer service.

It’s a cross-cutting job that calls on specific skills in production management and co-working. In addition to keeping a watchful eye on the production lines, my job is also to keep the program team up to speed with the state of the art, stay informed about new specific needs and manage tasks to ensure satellite equipment is delivered on time and to the required quality standards.

Copernicus © Thales Alenia Space

I’m currently working on the electronic equipment production and testing process for several exploration and Earth-observation missions, such as Copernicus. I’m proud to contribute to the European Commission’s Copernicus, the most ambitious Earth observation program dedicated to environmental monitoring. It is taking the pulse of the planet, with its 12 families of Sentinel satellites surveying land surfaces, seas, lakes, oceans, polar regions and more. Copernicus also comprises missions for climate science and tracking human-induced CO2 emissions, along with missions serving new applications for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. A program of this scale allows Europe to better anticipate the effects of climate change and helps safeguard and preserve our planet. Our company is playing an active role in 11 of the 12 Sentinel missions in the program, for which the satellites are being built by European primes for the European Space Agency (ESA).

What are you most proud of in your day-to-day activity?

© Thales Alenia Space

Every day I feel the uniqueness of what we build, and I know that together with the team, even the most complex challenges can be an opportunity to grow and learn new things, looking with confidence to the future of space exploration, where Thales Alenia Space is set to continue playing a leading role.

In every single challenge I take on, I sense the opportunity to contribute to something much greater.

Which event in your career have you enjoyed the most?

Last year, I had the opportunity to visit for the very first time our Rome facility where we conduct satellite integration and testing. It was really interesting to meet a lot of colleagues with extensive experience in space technology; it was my first and really close encounter with the challenging and fascinating world of space exploration. It was so amazing to think the devices we build could travel so far and have such a tangible effect on our lives. It really brought home to me the meaning of “Space for Life”.

In 3 words, what are the qualities required in your profession?

Teamwork, pro-activeness and versatility.