PROFILE:

Master Spacecraft Systems Engineer

 Master SatComm payload architect in mobile and classical bent-pipe payloads; Expert at customer technical reviews at spacecraft level covering the whole of the spacecraft ground characterisation. Decades of experience of design ownership, requirement identification and authoring, specifically on Inmarsat BGAN payloads and previously Inmarsat 3.

For the previous nine years I was the Lead Engineer for the Space Segment procurement, and a member of the Customer Community for a 1.3billion$ military space system for the UK government. This comprised an SHF payload with an active antenna plus enhanced Response-to-Stress performance, and an UHF payload. Responsibilities included acceptance of space system performance and anomaly resolution at space-craft level, performance compliance, verification & ownership of ICDs and link budgets. Design review team member & support to IOT planning. Lead Peer Engineering reviewer on SHF and UHF Payloads including review of design documentation, equipment acceptance, test planning and attendance at sub-system and equipment TRR/TRB/DRB/NRB’s etc.

 One of the key aspects to the above responsibilities is proper requirement management – as a result I am very conversant with requirement flow-down and verification at system down to equipment level. In this context I have developed skills in a requirement management tool which gives requirement management flow-down transparency to a very detailed level.

  KEY SKILLS

• Payload Engineering - I have at least twenty-eight years experience in payload architecture design, r.f.link budget design, electrical system engineering including power system, control & telemetry architecture design, system, sub-system and equipment requirement generation. I also have a number of years experience in Equipment Procurement management.

• Management - I manage a small engineering team to address the design and r.f.performance issues related to the provision of services through a satellite to the E-2-E comms system.  I am responsible for all engineering, management and cost control aspects. So I am familiar with costing methods, forward loads and schedule planning.

• Computing – For Requirements Management I am very familiar with DOORS.I am also familiar with Windows PCs all Microsoft applications, and also such modelling software packages as P-Spice.

EDUCATION:

 1988           Post-Graduate Courses in Space-Craft System Engineering

1978            Onwards   Competed a number of management courses in people skills.

 1970-72      Completed Post-Graduate Radar System Engineering courses covering surveillance and weapon radar applications.

• Served a Graduate Apprenticeship in Micro-Wave Electronics in the Royal Navy focussing on Electronics, Radar System and Weapon Engineering

 MoD cleared.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Last Quarter  2008 to May 2012: Systems Team Leader in Space Segment Engineering, Astrium Services Ltd

 Space Segment System Design Authority for a fleet of SHF / UHF / Secure satellite communications spacecraft for the last year. As owner of the Space segment performance & functional requirement I am the customer representative at all contractor reviews, which may be design, verification or delivery boards.

System Design Authority for all Space Segments within the System Engineering group of Astrium Services as above. Additionally I have been an adviser to the MoD UK on a steering group for advanced military satcomm studies focusing on the comms and data requirements for the next two decades. This also included a High Level Working Group working in combination with the French DGA to identify common requirements and technologies between the two defence agencies.

 First Quarter 2010: Systems Team Leader in Comms  System Engineering, Astrium Services Ltd

Consultant to a MoD Beyond-the-Line-Of Sight study to provide a trade-off of satellite comms platforms for the future BLOS architecture up to 2035. This was as the lead of an industrial consortium considering LEOs, MEOs, HEOs, GEOS and HAPs which may contribute to the final BLOS Defence Core Network. A recommended platform architecture was provided, justified by the perceived advantages/disadvantages of each platform type against a comprehensive et of criteria.

 June 2008 – October 2008: Systems Team Leader in Comms  System Engineering, Astrium Services Ltd

Member of a small comms system study team with responsibility for the Space Segment design of a Global Integrated comms Network System (GINS) at Ka-Band and S-Band for the European Union. This included high-level requirement analysis to facilitate link budget design and analysis, antenna coverage, and moving on to payload architecture design generation and key antenna performance identification. The applications were low-rate data down to 2.4kbps up to high-rate data at 30Mbps.

Second Quarter 2003 – Second Quarter 2008: Systems Team Leader in Comms  System Engineering, Astrium Services Ltd

Member of the customer community for the Skynet 5 Space System responsible for acceptance & in-orbit performance of the Skynet 5 space-craft & some ground equipment. In this role I supported all major TRBs, FDRs and anomaly boards at space-craft level.

Skynet 5 Space System requirement lead author, including performance compliance, verification & ownership of ICDs and link budgets. Design review team member & support to IOT planning. Lead Peer Engineer reviewer on SHF and UHF Payloads including review of design documentation, test requirement & planning, and attendance at relevant TRR/TRB/DRB/NRB’s etc.

Engineering interface on SHF and UHF payloads so deals daily with the major subcontractor and also attends lower level equipment sub-contractor meetings. bringing useful benefit from previous experience. Interfaces direct with the customer for requirements flow down issues and technical areas under my review.

Provides peer review and guidance to a large team of engineers spread over several areas of Skynet 5 system design.

Third Quarter 1999 – First Quarter 2003: Specialist Systems Engineer in SAR Engineering, Astrium EO

• The responsible person in the EU directorate for all Frequency Spectrum Management issues. This includes existing and future business applications, and support to the Regulating Authority and BNSC for Earth Observation frequency allocations. In 2001 and 2002 I have won two contracts with BNSC to ensure that the EO community continue to have access to the frequency spectrum.
• L-SAR responsible engineer for the instrument electrical system design i.e: power and command & control design, generation of requirements for antenna equipments and the equipment procurement process.  I also designed a new antenna reliability modelling tool for this instrument. 

Sept. 1996-June 1999: Specialist Systems Engineer in Mobile Telecomm. Sats. Matra-Marconi Space TC

• Responsible for the payload electrical systems design for EAST and Horizons (Inmarsat 4). This was probably MMS’s most sophisticated payload ever designed. I was also responsible at the proposal stage for a section of the proposal itself (Ultimately resulting in a 1000 page document with a team of 20 people.). Payload apportionments and equipment requirement generation were a significant part of this task with over 30 different equipment designs. 

1^st Q 1996 - 3^rd Q 1996: Principal Engineer in Mobile Telecomm. Sats. Matra-Marconi Space TC

• Study manager for an Inmarsat contract to select optimum orbital location for I.C.O. This was a 4-month study to trade-off GEO, LEO or ICO locations for what is know the ICO company. I was responsible for presenting the preferred orbital solution and potential payload system design, leading a team of five system engineers in a very fast moving programme. Inmarsat chose the solution to move forward as a separate ICO company.

1989 - 1^st Q 1996: Senior Systems Engineer in Mobile Telecomm. Sats. Marconi Space Systems TC

• Electrical systems responsible engineer for Inmarsat 3 from the bid – phase through the project life-cycle to F5. During the bid-phase I was resident in Canada for the I.F.Processor negotiation and start-up of the I.F.Processor contract with ComDev.
• During the main contract I was jointly responsible for the payload electrical system design, equipment requirement generation and WPM for the payload electrical harness design & procurement which came in well below budget.