Portfolio
TESSA Labs is built on 15+ years of space sector experience spanning engineering, systems, project management and leadership. That mix is practical, not decorative: it lets us design solutions that balance physics, cost, risk, and program realities. Our specialisation is Space Thermal Engineering, spanning spacecraft thermal control systems, cryogenic design (down to 50 K), space instrument thermal architectures, VLEO and lunar/Mars surface thermal challenges, and TVAC test management and correlation.
The track record behind TESSA Labs spans more than 30 projects — most of which are flying now — including Proba-3, PLATO, Orbital Transfer Vehicle, Solar Orbiter, ISS FSL, MTG, and cryogenics.
Since 2019, we provide on-demand thermal consulting to SMEs, research institutes, and primes — covering thermal architecture reviews, ESATAN-TMS/Thermica model verification and correlation, TVAC test strategy, and thermal non-conformance troubleshooting across different space environments and ground-based applications.
Experience
Projects across thermal design, testing, systems engineering, R&D, consulting, and academia.
Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) — Back Telescope Assembly
Detailed thermal design tested and validated. Hardware integrated into MTG-I satellite, launched December 2022, operational
Laser Launch Telescope (IAC)
Detailed thermal design validated and delivered
ISS — VMUMK2 Electronic Box (Fluid Science Laboratory)
Hardware qualified and delivered to ISS. Operational in Columbus Fluid Science Laboratory
Sentinel-4 — UVN Calibration Assembly
Detailed thermal design and reduced thermal model delivered. Flight hardware delivered as part of Sentinel-4 instrument. Sentinel-4A launched July 2025 aboard MTG-S1 for geostationary operations
CMG Units
Detailed thermal design validated and delivered
Flying Laptop Microsatellite — Thermal Test Manager
Thermal qualification completed. Flying Laptop launched July 2017, operated by University of Stuttgart
TVAC Facility Acquisition — Consulting Support for Startup
Client acquired suitable TVAC facility within budget and timeline constraints. Facility operational for internal qualification testing
Context: ESA JUICE mission — Solar array thermal testing from 49 K to 423 K
Topic: Thermal test facility design, cryogenic testing methodology
Context: R&D collaboration between CSL and CRM Group
Topic: PCM thermal characterisation, heat exchanger design
Context: Gran Telescopio Canarias — IAC collaboration
Topic: Opto-thermal-mechanical design, laser thermal management
Context: ESA Euclid mission — NIR focal plane characterisation at CSL
Topic: Thermo-elastic metrology, cryogenic measurements
Context: Alpbach Summer School 2012 — Lead systems engineer
Topic: Planetary mission concept, systems engineering
Context: University of Stuttgart — Flying Laptop microsatellite
Topic: Structural-thermal model validation, satellite testing
Context: ESA Solar Orbiter — EUI instrument at CSL
Topic: Opto-thermal interface optimisation, filter design
Context: ESA PROBA-3 — ASPIICS coronagraph development
Topic: Coronagraph development, formation flying
Context: R&D collaboration between CSL and CRM Group
Topic: PCM cold storage, multi-coil heat exchanger optimisation
Context: ESA PROBA-3 — ASPIICS progress report
Topic: Coronagraph development, thermal design
Context: MBA final project — HEC Liège Management School
Topic: AI applied to space imagery, startup strategy
- Master in Aerospace Engineering — University of Liège (2008–2010)
- MBA — HEC Liège Management School (2015–2017)
- Bachelor in Engineering (Physics & Mechanics) — University of Liège (2005–2008)
- Alpbach Summer School 2012 — Led Uranus System Explorer Phase 0 study
- Certifications
- Google Project Management Professional Certificate — Google
- Deep Learning Specialization — deeplearning.ai
- Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) — University at Buffalo
- Renewable Energy — University of Colorado Boulder
- Scrum Master — Scrum.org
- Leading People and Teams — University of Michigan
- Digital Twins — University of Michigan
- Additive Manufacturing — University of Michigan
- Agile with Atlassian Jira — Coursera
- Machine Learning — Stanford University
Interested in working together?
Whether you need thermal design, test support, or strategic consulting for your space mission, get in touch.