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Charlotte Beskow, Today’s Space Pro

What does it take to lead Europe’s most complex space missions from the jungles of French Guiana to the halls of the European Space Agency? Charlotte Beskow — an electrical engineer from Sweden — has spent over three decades turning science fiction into launch-pad reality.

Working in Kourou must have presented unique challenges and opportunities. Could you describe some of the key aspects of managing space launches in such a diverse and dynamic environment?

The great thing about working in Kourou is that the priorities are crystal clear for everyone concerned. From CSG director, launcher manager, satellite managers to the restaurant manger, the cleaners and drivers and anyone in between we all have the same goal. When there are difficulties you pitch in and do your level best. It is hard work and you can end up working very long hours but, as I stated above, the satisfaction when you succeed makes it all worth while. However, this only works as long as we have good and competent managers. Mangers who surround themselves with high quality staff of high integrity and professional capabilities. I have been lucky in my career in that I have almost always had very good bosses, who help their teams succeed.

When you work with space projects you quickly need to get used to the fact that development is non linear, There are setbacks and big problems as well as successes. This is particularly true at a launch base where many campaigns take place in parallel. What might seem to be a minor incident can have a huge impact. We are also affected by matters outside our control. Like when a fishing drawler destroyed the telecom cable linking French Guiana to the rest of the world (March 2018). There is never a dull moment and each day brings fresh challenges. This kind of work is not for everyone.

Managing a team of engineers and professionals in a high-stakes environment like space launches requires strong leadership. Can you share some insights into your leadership style and how you motivate your team?

I was one member of a team and, as mentioned above, I had the fortune to work with mostly very good managers, The work is done by industry and our role is to manage the contract we have with industry. You can do this formally ie demand reports as per the contract, or you get involved, try to understand the details and the nature of the problems, try to work with your counterpart to find solutions that work, find extra resources and defend them if they are needed, keep your manager informed so that the teams are not disturbed needlessly, keep open lines of communication with everyone involved to minimise the misunderstandings.

Looking ahead, what do you see as the most pressing challenges and opportunities for ESA in the coming years, and how do you envision your role in addressing them?

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