The relentless quest for knowledge about Space by Marta Oliveira

In Kourou, in French Guiana, no two days are alike. At least for Marta Oliveira, Safety Engineer on the Ariane 5 launcher, that has its launch from the European Spaceport, located in the South American region. “The role I perform varies greatly day by day. However, the campaign periods are particularly intense, especially in the preparation of operations procedures, risk analyses, and participating in the base’s operational activities,” explains the Portuguese, directly from Kourou.

This has been her life for almost a year. Before that, Marta Oliveira worked for the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. But it’s best to start where her interest in space began: her childhood.

Born and raised in Lisbon, Marta always had “a great interest in scientific subjects”, a fondness “always fostered by her family”. So, it’s only natural that the goal of “following a scientific path” was established early on. So much so that, at 14, she took part in the Astronaut Training Experience at the Kennedy Space Center in the United States. For Marta, this was “an unforgettable experience”, which consolidated her “interest in space exploration” and fueled her “curiosity for other challenges in the same area”.

When the time came to enter university, the choice was obvious. Marta continued her studies in Physics Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, having also completed a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at the same institution. “The years at Técnico were years of intense training and intellectual discovery and freedom of choice, namely in the disciplines we were given to choose from after completing the common core. In addition to the solid academic foundation provided by Técnico, in the years spent there, other aptitudes such as autonomy and perseverance were developed.”

Autonomy and perseverance are old partners of the Lisbon engineer in her adventures around the globe, always searching for knowledge and new experiences. After Técnico, another Master’s in Science followed, but this time at the International Space University (ISU), which she considered “a unique opportunity to discover the space sector on an international level”.

Also having access to these opportunities are the students who, for two months, will participate in the next edition of the Space Studies Program (SSP), promoted by ISU. The SSP, which will arrive in Oeiras next summer, is organised by the Portuguese Space Agency and Instituto Superior Técnico, with the support of Oeiras Municipality. The course will be an intense professional development experience designed for post-graduate students and professionals from a wide variety of disciplines.

Marta Oliveira proves it: “All participants are exposed to multidisciplinary training in space. Moreover, they integrate an extremely diverse network of professionals and experts in the space sector, which allows them to have direct contact with a unique learning opportunity”. In 2017, she took the stage and assumed a teaching position as a Teaching Associate at that year’s edition of the SSP in Cork, Ireland.

Marta Oliveira’s journey through knowledge didn’t – as you might guess – stop at ISU. In 2016, she had yet another internship experience, this time at NASA. At the United States Aeronautics and Space Agency, the Lisbon native says she had “a great introduction to the agency’s solar system exploration division”. After this occasion, she headed for the ESA internship programme (Young Graduate Trainees and National Trainees). “It was through the programme that I was able, for example, to participate in the pre-phase A of the Venus EnVision mission, on which I had worked during my master’s thesis,” she recalls.

The engineer stresses that “many of the opportunities” she has had throughout her career “arose thanks to national support, such as grants from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Space Agency”. And the Young Graduate Trainee Program in which he participated is an example of how, often, these internships are a launchpad for a career in the European space sector.

In 2017, she started working at ESA, part of a multidisciplinary team that appraised the design and conceptual assessment of future space missions for all ESA programmes. She also provided practical systems engineering support for space mission studies; later, Marta reviewed programme proposals for the Space19+ Summit and worked on the parliamentary and policy affairs assessment of Member States’ space-related activities.

Throughout her career, Marta has already collected some remarkable moments. However, the most surprising mission was, “without any doubt”, the James Webb Space Telescope launch. “It was the most impactful mission I’ve been involved in, not only because of the importance of the project itself, that was widely analysed and reported on, but also because of the team spirit that developed during the campaign,” she justifies.

Another remarkable moment was the inclusion in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2020 list, which distinguishes the most promising young people aged 30 or under, “it was an excellent incentive”. But it also “increases the responsibility for the coming years”. And this is also done with the support of other Portuguese, who are also making their mark in scientific fields: “Portugal has an extremely well qualified and reputable scientific community. It was a piece of luck and privilege always to count on the support of other Portuguese in the space area and to have the inspiration of so many other scientists or engineers with such remarkable careers.”