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Xavier Vanwijck,
aerospace research engineer
Xavier Vanwijck works at Onera*, the French
Aerospace lab. This is his first job in
the space industry. Even if he spends most
of his time doing research work, Xavier
Vanwijck is not divorced from the reality
of this world: European cooperation, concrete
applications of his discoveries and talks
with future users are also part of his daily
life.
Meeting with an engineer with a broad outlook
on life
IOONOS: How did you become an aerospace
research engineer ?
Xavier Vanwijck: I studied electro mechanics
for five years in Belgium at Liege University
and I qualified as an electromechanical
engineer with a specialization in aeronautics.
Then I moved to Paris where I worked in
the IT sector. My dreams of space and great
discoveries seemed so far away at that time!
So one day, I decided to go to the Air and
Space Museum at Le Bourget (France).I wrote
down all the institutes and companies’addresses
working in the space industry and I sent
them a letter of application. That is how
I started to work for Onera, seven years
ago.
IOONOS: What does your job consist in ?
Xavier Vanwijck: I design systems which
control space from the ground or which control
the ground from space. A few years ago,
only the U.S Army knew exactly what was
going on out there. All countries need to
know about the mission of the satellites
flying over them. It is also important for
them to prevent possible collisions. European
countries needed software programs to identify
automatically what was going on up there
with a radar watching the space. I also
dedicate part of my work to environment.
When you fusion optical data on the observation
of Earth, you get more comprehensive information
than with classical satellite pictures.
Thanks to this system, we can make more
precise maps of the biomass. Our objective
is to design new sensors onboard satellites
or fixed to drones (aircrafts without pilots)
IOONOS: What equipment
do you use ?
Xavier Vanwijck: I spend most of my time
working on a computer in order to do simulations.
I also spend time working on a white board,
analyzing systems, thinking of ways of optimizing
them and updating constraints etc. I communicate
a lot with other engineers and professionals
from different backgrounds.
IOONOS: Who do
you work with ?
Xavier Vanwijck: At Onera, there are a lot
of departments and many different jobs.
I work as well with optronicians as with
radarists. I carry out projects at the European
level, in particular with Germany and DLR*(German
Space Agency). Swiss, Germans, British…
we all try to find solutions together and
to come to an agreement. I also meet people
who will be using the information given
by our sensors: research workers to get
information about environment, farmers to
supervise cultivation, NGO’s for emergency
interventions, etc. We try to find the best
solutions together.
IOONOS: What are
the constraints of this job ?
Xavier Vanwijck: It is quite a flexible
job and I do not have many constraints.
What is most difficult is that you cannot
confine to what you know: you have to surpass
yourself and to take risks. The next challenge
for engineers will be to open to all of
Europe, to cooperate and share their knowledge
while remaining at the utmost level!
IOONOS: What advice
would you give to young people who want
to do this job ?
Xavier Vanwijck: As for any job, I would
advise them to sit for five minutes and
ask themselves frankly and with no preconception:
‘Why do I want to do this job?’
Those five minutes can change their lives!
The first job you do is a path to your future
career, so I think it is wise to take your
time to make the right choice. The best
advice is to be faithful to who you are.
There are an infinite number of engineer
profiles and there are jobs for very different
people. We need engineers but most of all,
we need people with a strong personality.
IOONOS: Does space
make you dream ?
Xavier Vanwijck: I think I am really lucky.
I love this job and space still makes me
dream. Space is the place where Man can
fulfil his dream of greatness. The great
space adventure is rewarding but we also
need to act for mankind, for others and
this is why I dedicate part of my work to
the Environment. Engineers work to serve
others as they can bring real solutions.
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