I think a large challenge is managing the increasing number of satellites that enter the space domain, and collision avoidance and debris impacts become very important. I love being able to work in real-time operations, where you’re dealing with live data and more time-critical decisions. Being able to also work directly with the code and see how things function behind the scenes has also helped me build a much better understanding of orbit determination algorithms, and it keeps the work very engaging. I’ve personally also always been quite curious about the space environment in terms of space weather, radiation belts and how the environment changes in different orbital regions.​

I’m really proud of the international simulation exercises I’ve participated in — working in a shared operations environment, responding to high-pressure scenarios, and putting our skills to the test has been incredibly rewarding. Being named as a finalist in the 2024 Australian Space Awards was also a huge honour and something I’m very proud of.

Being open to new opportunities even if they seem scary. A lot of my career path and path in life in general has come from saying yes to unexpected, spontaneous things – like the exchange program in Sweden or last-minute work opportunities and trips – and trusting that I’d figure it out along the way. Also making the best out of any situation. Covid lockdowns disrupted my original plan to start working in the space industry in Germany, which led me to study my Master’s in Australia instead and in the end, everything worked out better than I could have imagined. I think going to networking events is also important, not just to meet people but also to gain a larger perspective of what goes on in the space industry worldwide. For me, these kinds of events always inspired me. One particularly memorable experience was chatting with an astronaut who described what Space Shuttle flights were like as a shuttle pilot – I remember just being in complete awe and feeling even more excited to work in this field.

In short, the role is about bridging the gap between physics and software engineering. NorthStar Luxembourg develops SSA solutions that rely on advanced research and modeling, which means physicists and software engineers work in close collaboration; having some knowledge of astrodynamics and an affinity for programming, I had one foot in both. The position allows me to connect both sides and follow a project from its inception as a physics problem to its implementation as a turnkey software solution.

This is a difficult question for me, because I’m a puzzle-solver and I most enjoy sinking my teeth into the very concrete, granular technical problems that we work on every day. That said, I’m very much interested in the scalability of astrodynamics algorithms. Classical methods are elegant and practical on a small scale, but they become impractical or prohibitively computationally expensive for constellations or whole catalogues. Beautifully clever algorithms have been developed and are being worked on to maintain accuracy and propagate uncertainty at large scales.

I’m only getting started, ask me again in a couple years! For now, I’m proud of keeping pace with the learning curve involved in learning both a new programming language and software engineering on the job, as a novice, and to have been trusted to work on some fairly involved projects. I can’t claim much credit, though. The team has been exceptionally supportive.

​Get comfortable collaborating across disciplines, and become versatile yourself, if you can. From where I’m standing, in this field, knowledge of physics is invaluable to software, strong software fundamentals are essential to physics research (especially in creating reliable SSA systems), and neither evolve far from operations. It all has to fit together. (Plus, it’s all fun – so why wouldn’t you want to?!) 

​As an astronomer, my job was essentially to stare at telescope images and uncover the stories hidden in the light. Those images contain valuable clues about a star’s structure, properties, and evolution, which can be revealed through careful analysis and modeling.

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At NorthStar, the challenge is surprisingly similar—just closer to home! I work with images capturing the light traces of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) as they cross our telescopes field of view. From those traces, I derive their physical characteristics as well as their position and velocity. Precise and accurate measurements are key to reliably tracking and characterizing the many satellites orbiting our planet.​

​Since the beginning of humanity, we have looked up at the dark sky, the stars, and the vastness of the universe. Recognizing that we live on a small blue dot, lost in such immensity, is a fundamental part of the human experience.​

Today, with the rise of mega-constellations and the rapid expansion of satellite launches, we face a real risk of permanently polluting our night skies. It would only take a few collisions to seriously compromise our access to space. We’re already seeing the impact on ground-based astronomy, as light pollution from satellites increasingly interferes with observations.​
That’s why I find my work at NorthStar so meaningful. By monitoring and tracking objects in orbit, we help protect our access to space and preserve the night sky—the same sky that has inspired generations to explore and reach further.​

During my PhD, I developed a new way to probe the core composition of certain white dwarf stars by rethinking how we analyze their pulsation properties and theoretical models. I’m especially proud that this work was published in Nature. It’s still amazing to me that by observing the subtle flickering of an unreachable star many light-years away, we can determine the composition of its core.​

​It is a demanding and often stressful field, but my advice is simple: go, go absolutely go for it. It can be very difficult to see a clear career path at the beginning, but it is a field worth being proud of. It also provides a strong set of skills that can lead to successful careers in many related areas.​

An orbital analyst, as the name might imply, analyses data coming from different sources to characterise satellites orbital motions. Whether it is following the intended trajectory, it has deviated, and especially why it did so. It is an operational effort to understand where everything is and where it is going, which is the core of Space Situational Awareness.​

​It is both a mathematical challenge and an ethical one. Mathematically, it is very rewarding to use abstract tools and solve difficult problems, contributing to the literature on the topic, and becoming the starting point of someone else’s research. Ethically it does raise a question of sustainability of the current use of space, it is an open question which needs answers and solutions.  

I am proud of having taken chances, and not just safe choices. I am proud of the research I have carried out and the recognition from the other researchers in the field. 

There are so many aspects of the field which are to be explored, and not just from an engineering perspective. It’s the diversity in the field which is enriching it and making it progress. As a woman, it initially felt weird to enter a room full of adult men while I was trying to make my first steps in the field. But just like me, there were many other women, and I am very happy to see the representation growing each time I go to a conference. If I can give some advice I did not follow myself: reach out! Ask, be curious, so many options open.