Space is arguably both finite and infinite while the universe is expanding, and this evokes ambition, excitement, and puzzlement in humans. Out of which space technology, designed for space exploration, is born. Thus, it is even more interesting to learn the life stories of people behind innovation and technological development.

In this series of articles, we are introducing our colleagues behind ReOrbit technology. What brought them to the industry, their journeys towards humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier, lessons learned, and things they’d create if there were no technological limitations.

Meet Andrés Cánchero, Thermal Engineer at ReOrbit. Drawn to aerospace for its extreme constraints and performance requirements, Andrés has built his career working on projects from Argentina's space programme to rocket engines that flew in the Space Shuttle programme. His journey has taken him from thermal control to rocket engine aeroacoustics and back to thermal again. Now in the realm of New Space at ReOrbit, he's excited to contribute to the pioneering UKKO mission.

Why did you choose space

I grew up watching upwards to the sky, curious about what flew fast and beyond Earth's surface. Movies like Apollo 13 were incredibly iconic for me, and all the real-life NASA stories, the astronauts, the first man on the moon. On the aeronautical side, Top Gun was, of course, an inspiration for many of us.
But what really drew me in was realising that aeroplanes, satellites and rockets represent the ultimate engineering challenge. You're pushing everything to the limits.

Every gram of weight matters, performance has to exceed anything we build for the ground, and these things need to be lifted off Earth and then withstand extreme conditions in space. That combination of constraints and extreme performance requirements intrigued me. It meant that if I went into aerospace, I'd always be working on problems where you have to carefully consider trade-offs and find cutting-edge solutions. That's what made me choose space.

You started your career as

I studied at the National University of La Plata and did my master's degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. In the early 2000s in Argentina, there weren't many projects or developed industries for planes or space, so choosing aeronautical specifically was quite risky. I was really lucky because, whilst I was studying, several satellite and launch vehicle projects were promoted by the Argentine government.

I began with thermal control for satellite units on projects like SAC-D Aquarius, developed in collaboration with NASA. Then I transitioned to experimental aerodynamics and CFD simulations, followed by aeroacoustics for rocket engines. During my master's degree, I worked on the Space Launch System and engines that flew in the Space Shuttle programme, which ended up being pretty historical projects. Eventually, I returned to thermal control, which is what I'm doing now as well with ReOrbit.

Your most memorable memory so far

The launch of the SAOCOM 1B satellite in 2020, where I participated in the control room along with some current ReOrbiters like Gabi and Nacho. It was very special because it happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. We had to overcome multiple obstacles, and the launch was delayed from March to August. However, it turned out to be a perfect success.

The most intense part was waiting for the first telemetry to arrive, staring at a blank screen, hoping that something would pop up. That first data frame is the most critical one because it signals to you that the satellite is alive. In my case, I was checking that all the temperature levels were in the allowed range. Those first minutes are a mix of nervousness because problems can occur. It was not like today, when the launch rate has significantly improved. Eventually, when we got to the end, it was strange that we couldn't hug each other after the success due to COVID protocols. We just celebrated by ourselves, personally.

Your most valuable lesson so far?

The SAOCOM project was particularly complex. It was an LEO satellite with a huge 35-square-metre SAR antenna across seven panels. I lived through the entire AIT phase and thermal vacuum testing, which taught me more than any other project in my career.

The thermal vacuum test, in general, is a perfect example of a valuable lesson. It's a very expensive test, and the clock starts ticking from the beginning. You work in shifts day and night, and you have pressure from many stakeholders because every problem means a delay and more costs. You're making decisions at irregular hours like 3 AM, when your mind isn't sharp, so it's critical to trust your team comrades to help you see things you don't see. That's the lesson: working as a team and viewing things from different perspectives is essential.

The one thing that makes you smile?

Fortunately, a lot of moments because I love what I do. But if I had to choose one, it's those semi-regular 'aha moments' where you find a solution to a problem that's been keeping you awake. When you finally realise the answer after trying different solutions, those are like personal little wins.
I could also mention achieving different milestones in projects. You work so hard, and finalising milestones with success is always a relief that gives you lots of joy and a smile.

What nobody prepared you for?

Everybody teaches engineering as a hard science, but they forget to make it clear that engineering work is done by engineers, who are the people behind those roles. I believe the success of a mission depends mostly on human relationships, rather than just filling requirements.

You work so much with people. We can be similar because we come from similar educational backgrounds, but we're also all different on a personal level. That's probably the hardest part. There's no unique algorithm to deal with people. Nobody prepared you for that in school or college. That's something you figure out through the years, and it becomes your personal bag of experience.

Imagine there are no technological limitations, what do you wish you could design/create in the space sector?

This is a tricky question because if there were no technological limitations, we'd be living in a sci-fi movie. Our work as engineers would make no sense, since it's exactly the limits that we try to push every day. But if we're going to play the game, I believe the history of humankind is to push boundaries and conquer new places. So, I would build spaceships with enough power to get to new planets and galaxies.

It's been quite a ride in a relatively short time. Right now, flying around the world is somewhat typical, and whilst the moon will be further explored by humans, we are already looking to send people to Mars. Today we're reusing and landing rocket launchers, which 20 years ago was just a dream. I think curiosity is embedded in human nature. For instance, at some point, we were confined to certain continents, and we decided to explore beyond those boundaries. Soon it's time for the outer boundaries in space.