OUR TEAM
OirthirSAT is an international group of students based at the University of Glasgow.
CURRENT TEAM MEMBERS
JOE GIBBS
Programme Engineering Manager
Joe is the Programme Engineering Manager and Attitude Control SME for OirthirSAT. He is a second-year PhD student in the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow, researching control methods for line-of-sight stabilization with interests in navigation, invariant state estimation and deep learning. Joe has previous experience in the Aerospace industry and currently acts as the Control Team Lead for GU Orbit at the University of Glasgow.
GEORGIOS TITAS
Programme Technical Authority
Georgios is the Programme Technical Authority and secondary Systems Engineer for OirthirSAT. He is a 5th year MEng Electronics and Electrical Engineering student in the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow. His duties in OirthirSAT involve the close cooperation with the project manager and systems engineer, overlooking the system’s electrical architecture, interfaces, requirements and power budget. Georgios has previously worked as Electrical Team Lead at GU Orbit, working on the design of the EPS. With prior experience in industry and knowledge obtained during his studies, Georgios is eager to apply his skills and start the building of OirthirSAT!
FREYA MUIR
Programme Science Officer
Freya is the Programme Science Officer for OirthirSAT and the most recent addition to the GU Orbit team. She is currently working on her PhD in coastal change prediction at the University of Glasgow, having previously worked at Glasgow as the sole Research Assistant on the Scottish Government commissioned Dynamic Coast project. Her experience with remote sensing during her GIS Masters and research role are helping to guide the science direction and data distribution of OirthirSAT. Freya believes that satellite imagery holds the key to rapidly yet accurately simulating Earth’s surface changes, for the purposes of informing adaptation to the effects of climate change. She is also a firm supporter of closing the gender gap in STEM, and strives to elevate and celebrate women and minorities in her field.
NEKTARIOS CHARI
Systems Engineer / Thermal SME
Nektarios is a Systems Engineer for OirthirSAT and an MEng graduate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Glasgow. He is in charge of the mission design, requirements engineering, spacecraft configuration, and verification plans of OirthirSAT. His previous work involves structural and thermal analyses of space systems, the mechanical design of the dragsail, and project management within GU Orbit and in industry. Being a part of the CubeSat team for more than three years, Nektarios aims to use this competition as an opportunity to develop Scotland’s first student-built nanosat while having hands-on experience in the design, development, and operation of spacecraft systems.
GREGOR MACASKILL
AIT Engineer / Mechanics SME
Gregor is an Assembly, Integration & Test Engineer, and Drag Sail SME for OirthirSAT. He is a fifth-year aeronautical engineering MEng student in the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow and aspires to work in the space sector. Gregor is grateful for the invaluable insights that the Nanosat Design Competition has provided into this vibrant industry and is eager to continue developing his understanding of satellite technology as the competition progresses. Gregor is the Mechanical Team Lead for the GU Orbit nanosatellite society at the University of Glasgow and is passionate about space sustainability. He is relishing the opportunity to reinforce the mission’s environmental initiative by advancing the unique drag sail payload. As a Scottish Gaelic speaker, Gregor is also excited by the prospect of launching the first Gaelic satellite!
DIEGO HIDALGO DE LAS HERAS
AIT Engineer / Communications SME
Diego is an Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT) Engineer and Communications SME for OirthirSAT. He is an MEng Aeronautical Engineering student currently in his fifth year. He is involved in various space-related teams where his ongoing work includes a ground station design and implementation and a hybrid rocket engine design. Diego is the team leader of the communications team at GU Orbit, where he has gained his passion and knowledge of RF systems. Diego aims to use this competition to gain space heritage for the small CubeSat team at GU Orbit!
CIVAN DOĞAN
Software Integrator
Civan is a 3rd year computing science student at the University of Glasgow. He is responsible for the software that will be used by the satellite to observe the coastlines and extract the necessary data throughout the mission. Civan was previously interested in robotics and astronomy and aims to work in the space sector. Although he does not have direct knowledge of satellite software, he is very enthusiastic about learning the constraints and developing software accordingly. In this way, he works as a software integrator at OirthirSAT.
THEODOROS SERGHIOU
Payload Engineer
Theodoros is an Assembly, Integration & Test Engineer and Camera SME for OirthirSAT. He is an MEng in Electronic & Electrical Engineering graduate of the James Watt School of Engineering and is pursuing his Ph.D. in the sustainability of nano-technology. His duties in OirthirSat involve the market analysis of space-graded camera systems as well as their integration and testing procedures, thus further enhancing his fascination surrounding optics. Theodoros is the Payload Team Lead for the GU Orbit nanosatellite society and has a keen interest in sustainability and the optical payload. He is one of the first members of GU Orbit and has greatly appreciated the opportunity to be involved in this exciting journey amongst such innovative individuals.
JORGE DARIO ARREDONDO DE VEGA
Business, Licensing & Insurance Lead
Jorge Dario (Dario) is the Business, Licensing & Insurance Lead at OirthirSAT. He is a final year MEng in Aeronautical Engineering student at the University of Glasgow. Dario has always been involved in the aerospace student community whilst at University through his involvement in multiple societies such as GU Orbit, Jet X Engineering, and GU Rocketry, where he has gained experience in both, the Technical and the Business & Development side of things. Dario is currently the president at GU Orbit and his industrial experience has involved working with AAC Clyde Space and ESDU. At OirthirSAT, he is in charge of obtaining the Licensing and Insurance for the space mission by ensuring proper compliance with the CAA and Ofcom. Dario aims to pursue a professional career in the aerospace industry as an engineer, and hopes to help make space more accessible to everyone through his passion for Aerospace Sciences!
KANGYONG ZHANG
Programme Science Officer
Kangyong is the Programme Science Officer for OirthirSAT. He is a third year PhD student in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow, working on innovative application of remote sensing technology for mangrove monitoring. His expertise in spaceborne data processing and application helps to develop OirthirSAT imagery processing pipeline. Kangyong is keen to use his experience on remote sensing as an end-user to make OirthirSAT more adequate for research needs.
AIDAN WANSBROUGH
Climate Scientist
Aidan is a second-year Computing Science and Geography Joint Honours student involved in the software team. He is currently helping with the training of the classification algorithm at the heart of identifying coastal boundaries and features, ready for transmission back to Earth. He is passionate about OirthirSAT’s mission to gather and efficiently process data on the UK’s changing coastlines.
FORMER TEAM MEMBERS
IGNACIO SERRANO MARTIN-SACRISTÁN
Business, Licensing & Insurance Lead
Ignacio was the Business, Licensing & Insurance Lead at OirthirSAT. He was an exchange student studying his 4th year of Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Glasgow. His duties in OirthirSAT involved the documentation and legal aspects of a space mission, he was in charge of making sure that the satellite met all the requirements imposed by the CAA to fly from UK soil. He is deeply interested in the space sector; although this might not be his field of expertise, he is for sure eager to learn and expand his understanding of these aspects of a space mission.
NATALIA IBAGÓN SÁNCHEZ
Embedded Systems Engineer
Natalia was in charge of the communication interfaces and data transmission inside the OirthirSAT nanosatellite. She is an MSc in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence graduate from the University of Glasgow. Natalia worked as the Embedded Team Leader in GU Orbit, where they work on the design of the OBC for CloudView and Astraeus.
