EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
BECOMING A GROUND SEGMENT SUPPORT ENGINEER
Ground Segment Support Engineers are responsible for maintaining the good functioning of the ground-based stations that give support and communicate with a spacecraft, like satellites or scientific probes. On daily basis, they program the station, they run several tests to receive data, and they send commands to the spacecraft. Physics, Mathematics and Engineering are there must have background knowledge. If your students are enthusiastic about radio and communications, and if they want to grasp a wide scope of space technologies, this might be an interesting career for them!
SKILLS
Find out about the key skills to become a Ground Segment Support Engineer.
Software Engineering
A ground segment support engineer needs to use software that supports signal processing so that the routine controls are conducted and the system is evaluated often.
Operation Management
Maintaining the highest efficacy possible in the organizational processes is essential, especially when the communication with a spacecraft is at stake.
Problem Solving
Problem-solving involves the identification of complex problems and reviews related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Data Administration
Being responsible to maintain the signal exchange with the spacecraft demands skills in data storing, management, and processing.
Quality Control
Analysis
Part of a ground segment specialist’s work is to conduct tests and inspect products, services, or processes to evaluate their quality or performance.
Systems Analysis
This career path demands a good knowledge of system engineering. It is essential to be able to point out the processes that take place to make sure that the ground-based stations do not lose contact with the satellites and the rest of the system.
Meet Dr. Pedro Marques Quinteiro
Dr Pedro Marques Quinteiro is an expert in the study and design of effective work teams and leadership systems. At William James Center for Research, ISPA- Instituto Universitário, he develops research on how do individuals and teams adapt to disruptions in the workplace without compromising performance. He is currently involved in several research projects on team leadership and teamwork in extreme environments (i.e., Antarctica; Firefighting), funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the Portuguese Polar Program (PROPOLAR), the Negotiation and Team Resources (NTR) and the European Space Agency (ESA). He uses the outcomes of his research to develop science-based practices and help stakeholders being more knowledgeable of the psychological drivers of successful human adaptation in the workplace.
CC BY 4.0: all the materials and content presented on this STEM Job profile have been provided by Space Awareness, a project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Programme under grant agreement nº 63865.
