Space Jobs: Finding Employment in the (New) Space Economy (Part II)

Thanks to four of the leading space companies in Italy, the reflection on “space-related” jobs that will be sought in the future continues. The paths have become almost infinite, just like the possibilities. And the hunt for the best profiles is on.

By Emilio Cozzi and Matteo Marini

There are two spaces, one near and one far, also in terms of skills and expertise required to operate within them. The near one involves the use of assets in orbit. It is the terrestrial exploitation of extra-atmospheric services and concerns, for example, cloud computing and communications. Then there is the space inhabited by humans, the one that promises to extend to the Moon and beyond.

Both are expanding. In addition to the core skills that companies are seeking – especially mechanical engineers, system engineers, experts in digital data processing, and propulsion – the sector requires new figures, positions, and skills.

The Future: Cyber and Humanism

The future is already here, inside the laboratories of those who are thinking about it and, at the same time, planning it. D-Orbit has a pretty good view window, given the capabilities of its jewel, Ion. Essentially hardware that, after completing the transport and delivery service of other satellites, remains in orbit not as space junk, but as an operational asset: “The issue of cybersecurity is central; we are now trying to replicate in space the cloud and data center infrastructures on the ground,” says Andrea Di Nunzio, chief people officer of the company based in Fino Mornasco. “We are working on protecting our product and service. I can say that at the moment, there is no cybersecurity in space.”

Expertise embracing these themes will be increasingly in demand to operate both on Earth and beyond the atmosphere. Here too, competition is open, particularly in technological contamination, which implies the dialogue of two different domains: cyber and space.

Interesting things happen in orbit: “non-space” companies see the opportunity to take their products beyond the sky. This happens, for example, in the increasingly frequent trips offered by private companies. And it will happen more and more often when private space stations are operational. “Non-space companies are beginning to perceive space as an important element for their activity. It’s an ongoing contamination,” emphasizes Massimo Comparini, CEO of Thales Alenia Space. “With Altec, for example, we managed the experiments of the Axiom mission, which brought Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei to the ISS. I believe it is a dimension with ample room for growth because by building suitable environments for these applied research and, why not, also manufacturing made in space, we are the best interface to understand how to satisfy those who want to, for example, do food tech, develop pharmaceutical research, new materials, or bioprinting.”

Technological and scientific investigations are certainly not unfamiliar to Ohb Italia, whose activities encompass almost the entire sector: “We must not only intercept these trends but also anticipate them, with resources capable of managing the new market demands,” says Raffaele Staffiere, HR manager of the company. “The keywords are primarily Moon, Mars, deep space, miniaturization of satellites, concepts that mark the transition of space from purely scientific use to an economic-commercial resource.” Because the beam that expands for hundreds of millions of kilometers, from the ‘ceiling’ of the atmosphere with Earth observation services to the lunar south pole and to the plains of Mars, one day “will require accumulating resources to develop ideas for future settlements, to interpret the new big data of satellite downstream, with sustainability and fast reproducibility of space assets as guidelines.”

Some themes are also dear to Argotec, especially production and deep space. Let’s not forget that two of their ‘creatures,’ Liciacube and Argomoon, witnessed the impact of NASA’s Dart probe against an asteroid, and the separation of stages of the new Space Launch System launched for the first mission of the Artemis program, at the end of 2022. “We always operate in the smallsat or nanosat sector, with a new satellite larger than Liciacube,” emphasizes Giulia Peretto, head of Human Resources of the Turin-based company. “Our technologies are evolving, and we are moving towards something very close to mass production. Dynamics are changing, and with them, the needs.” A solar mission – Lumio, a satellite for space weather, capable of predicting solar storms – and an asset to study meteorite activities on the Moon are in the pipeline.

The latter point is among the most interesting: different systems converge in space. There is hardware that follows the laws of physics and orbital movements. And then there is the software part, which evolves at extraordinary speed. Nothing is more important for a company like Thales Alenia Space, specialized in the realization of satellites and pressurized and habitable environments in space: “By conceiving intelligent machines, with very high processing capabilities and algorithms that learn from themselves, the profile of an analytics or artificial intelligence expert is one we are integrating,” says the CEO. “Imagine an infrastructure around or on the Moon, which operates automatically 90 percent of the time: its digital management will be crucial.”

The contamination with digital and AI is a pioneering theme even in the context of space exploration itself. “At the IAC in Paris two years ago, we presented a joint project with the Polytechnic of Milan and the Polytechnic of Turin between architects and engineers for the habitability of new space environments, for long-duration missions, aiming at the next decade,” suggests the CEO of Thales Alenia Space. “Astronauts will not only be a few hours away, as they are today, in orbit, but days on the Moon (or months on Mars). Creating a certain well-being even in a hostile environment will therefore be fundamental. In this sense, I imagine in the coming years a contamination between more technical-scientific professions and design, an additional opportunity for Made in Italy.”

The civilization’s far-reaching projection will find its peak in an interpretation of space that is increasingly less “technical” and more “human,” where, however, women and men will not be alone but accompanied by robots. “I am convinced that to grasp cutting-edge technological projects, a more humanistic and psychological dimension is also needed. Think of the exploration of the lunar surface or Mars, which will make human-machine interaction indispensable. Increasingly intelligent rovers will collaborate directly with astronauts. New multidisciplinary professions will allow our companies to expand their horizons. Being ready is a duty.”