New space jobs + why a war reporter quit to build satellites

Hello everyone

It’s been a rather intense month in the European space industry, don’t you think? Many things have happened: launch attempts (hope to have some in February at least!), spectrum wars and the first launches of a new broadband constellation (by Open Cosmos if you were wondering) and some unfortunate news for Orbex.

Meanwhile, the rest of the industry keeps hiring: space traffic management in Germany, laser comms in the Netherlands, Earth observation across the continent.

And speaking of Earth observation, this week's podcast 🤩 tackles a question that should terrify European policymakers: why does Europe still rely on the US to see what's happening on its own borders?

Let's get into it 👇

🚀 Spotlight: New on findaspacejob.com

Here are some of the best space jobs available today:

• Product Assurance Manager @ SITAEL (Italy)

  👉 PA is a world in and of itself. Be responsible for making sure that all the equipment meets all the quality safety standards, basically. A bridge between the engineers and the customers.

• Ground Operations Engineer @ Vyoma (Germany)

  👉 Help develop the ground operations for Vyoma’s satellite constellation…!! (I’m biased but this is cool).

• Junior Satellite Operations Engineer @ Startical (Spain)

  👉 Support daily satellite operations and ATM demo tests. They are building an air traffic management sat constellation… just saying

• Accounting & Finance Intern @ Involve Space (Italy)

  👉 Handle the money of the company… or at least part of it ;)

• Mechanical / Propulsion Engineer @ Liftero (Poland)

  👉 The most hands-on role of the week: build propulsion systems that get to space!

• Winter Internship 2026 @ ESO (Very far…. in spanish we'd say "in Parla")

  👉 The good thing is that it’s a winter internship but during summer haha (see if you get why)

• Commercial Earth Observation Systems Engineer @ ESA (Italy)

  👉 Another very very very cool ESA opportunity here… help manage ESA EO funded projects. Requires technical knowledge but it’s not super technical

And a lot more. Don’t think these are the only cool roles around.

🎙️ Podcast: From War Reporter to Space Founder (w/ Alexander Epp)

If a crisis happens on European borders today, who takes the picture? Likely, it’s a US satellite (and perhaps also a Chinese one).

This week, I sat down with Alexander Epp, Co-founder of Marble Imaging. But here’s the thing: Alexander didn't start as an engineer; he spent 10 years as a journalist at Der Spiegel, covering crises and the war in Ukraine. He saw firsthand that when geopolitical tensions rise, the data flow from allies (like the US) can get cut off.

We talked about:

• The "Blind Spot": Why Europe needs its own VHR (Very High Resolution) constellation for sovereignty.

• The Tech: How they are building a 20+ satellite constellation to provide daily revisits.

• The Journey: How he went from the newsroom to raising €17M+ and building a space company (in the span of 2.5 years (!!) - that’s fast)

» Listen to the episode here «

Or watch it here 👇

Why does this matter for you?

1. If you're in the industry: Why pass on candidates with "weird" backgrounds? That person from (who knows) telecom, consulting or even retail operations might bring the exact perspective your team is missing. (Maybe not for every role but you get me)

2. If you're trying to break in: Your non-aerospace background isn't necessarily a weakness. Alexander's journalism experience helps Marble better understand how the end user wants to use the product and therefore helps in defining what and how to build at Marble.

(So yes, this is me subtly encouraging you to apply to roles even if you don't tick every box on the job description)

🗞️ News: launcher trouble?

1. Open Cosmos moves fast (really fast!)

Remember that Open Cosmos announced out of the blue they had received the spectrum license Rivada once held? Well, they definitely move fast because last week they launched their first 2 satellites for their broadband constellation.

This is pretty big because they went from “planning” a sovereign European constellation to “operating” very fast. Sometimes is very good indeed to not announce your plans too early and let your actions do the talking.

2. Is Orbex in trouble? 

You might have seen the news. The whispers are getting louder and they aren't good. Reports are circulating that Orbex is facing severe financial problems. A few days ago their danish subsidiary reportedly filed for bankruptcy, and the company seems to be in talks for an acquisition by The Exploration Company (why would TEC buy is is a good question). It’s unfortunate, but if this turns out to be true, it would be the first major "casualty" of the European launcher market.

Really sad about everyone potentially affected by this. I wish all the best to the team. If I can help in any way, just reach out!

3. EU Launch Innovation Prize Winners

To end on a high note: The EU just awarded €5M to five "game-changing" launch projects. The winners include Pangea Propulsion (for their aerospike engine!), ArianeGroup, Sener, Alpha Impulsion, and DeltaOrbit. It’s good to see the EU putting cash directly into the tech that will power the next generation.

That’s all for this week.

Enjoy the podcast, apply for the jobs, and let's hope next week brings us clarity on the Orbex situation (and maybe a launch date for Isar!).

Until next Thursday!

P.S. Hiring? Post your role here

As usual: connect on LinkedIn and follow the Find a Space Job for updates.